Disney Develops New "Reclining Seat Rollercoaster Car"

[SpacePlace]

Disney has developed a new roller coaster car to improve our ride experiences. I'm not sure if they have a specific ride/park/theme in mind for this, but please post if you have any inclination. The gist is, they put reclining chairs in the cars so that you are in a reclined position during the ride. They present the new ride technology as,

"The present invention addresses the above problems by providing a roller coaster (or coaster-type ride system) in which passenger seats in the coaster's vehicles are adapted to be articulated so as to move between a load/unload position to a ride position, which still faces forward into the direction of travel (DOT) of the vehicle but with a much different point of view (POV). More specifically, the passenger seats may have an articulable seat back that is moved by a seat positioning mechanism (or seat actuator) between a first position that may be near vertical or upright for use in loading/unloading of passengers and a second position that may be more horizontal or reclined for use in placing the passengers in a ride orientation."


http://www.google.com/patents/US2013...ed=0CDMQ6AEwAA

[Q-man]

Originally Posted by SpacePlace

More specifically, the passenger seats may have an articulable seat back that is moved by a seat positioning mechanism (or seat actuator) between a first position that may be near vertical or upright for use in loading/unloading of passengers and a second position that may be more horizontal or reclined for use in placing the passengers in a ride orientation."

A lazy boy coaster? Can't wait for the tie-ins.

[jimmytammy]

Originally Posted by Q-man

A lazy boy coaster? Can't wait for the tie-ins.

I was thinking the same thing...like a wild ride, in the comfort of your own home

[DRDISNEYMD]

Originally Posted by SpacePlace

Disney has developed a new roller coaster car to improve our ride experiences. I'm not sure if they have a specific ride/park/theme in mind for this, but please post if you have any inclination. The gist is, they put reclining chairs in the cars so that you are in a reclined position during the ride. They present the new ride technology as,

"The present invention addresses the above problems by providing a roller coaster (or coaster-type ride system) in which passenger seats in the coaster's vehicles are adapted to be articulated so as to move between a load/unload position to a ride position, which still faces forward into the direction of travel (DOT) of the vehicle but with a much different point of view (POV). More specifically, the passenger seats may have an articulable seat back that is moved by a seat positioning mechanism (or seat actuator) between a first position that may be near vertical or upright for use in loading/unloading of passengers and a second position that may be more horizontal or reclined for use in placing the passengers in a ride orientation."


http://www.google.com/patents/US2013...ed=0CDMQ6AEwAA

~OMG... another one??? This coaster looks so comfortable, lol. I think you were right SpacePlace -- this is because of Comcast! <j/k>

~Seriously, I really hope this is for WDW.

[SpacePlace]

Originally Posted by DRDISNEYMD

~OMG... another one??? This coaster looks so comfortable, lol. I think you were right SpacePlace -- this is because of Comcast! <j/k>

~Seriously, I really hope this is for WDW.

And as long as they let me have a beer and watch the big game while they have me in that position!

[GAN]

My wife's going to hate this!

[N365PA]

Some sort of Bobsled of Luge coaster couldbe fun with this idea. I cant for the life of me tie this in to any disney movie or attraction (other than the Matterhorn).

Clint

[chicagoshannon]

I'd hate to be in the second row if the person in the first row decides they need to recline.

[DRDISNEYMD]

Originally Posted by SpacePlace

And as long as they let me have a beer and watch the big game while they have me in that position!

~LOL. Hmm... I was thinking more along the lines of a "mani pedi," so let's just compromise with a Shiatsu massage!

~Here is an interest passage taken from the detailed description portion of the patent -- emphasis is placed solely upon the "reclining" aspect of the chair -- it can be used on an "existing" track while creating an entirely different & new thrill experience.

In the ride position, the passenger's sightlines and point of view (POV) are substantially blocked in the vehicle's DOT, and the passenger can no longer see what is coming as the vehicle moves through the ride portions of the track or see when the track is going to turn or drop/rise. Such unexpected moves of the vehicle increase the thrill, excitement, and unpredictability of the ride experience. The passenger's POV is largely directed upward (in contrast to a passenger seated in a conventional upright/vertical position) such that parts of a roller coaster ride that would not be seen by a conventional seat arrangement are easily observed. The thrill, excitement, and unpredictability of the experience are significantly increased as objects cross quickly in and out of the passenger's field of view. For example, overhead rockwork may open into expansive caverns in a mountain-themed ride and then quickly return to close-in rockwork. This serves to enhance the sense of speed and excitement as the riders are unaware of what lies ahead along the track.

A roller coaster was tested by the inventors that included a passenger seat with a seat back positioned in a reclined or “horizontal” position. This test, on an old and existing coaster, showed that the experience provided was fun, unique, and substantially different than that provide by a vertical seat back on the exact same track. A number of experiential, operational, and marketing benefits have been identified by the inventors for this type of roller coaster ride. The ride provides an articulated seat that allows for easy and familiar load/unload of the vehicle in the station or during evacuation, as well as delivering a new and unique ride experience to the passengers. The experience is more disorienting and thrilling because the passenger does not know where he is or what is going to happen next. There are no fixed visualization points, and this even proved true for attraction-operator passengers that know the ride extremely well (e.g., their comments were along the vein of “feels like I'm riding this coaster for the first time again”). Not being able to see the track or upcoming path through the sets prevents the passenger from preparing themselves and/or expecting what is coming next.

The articulable seat coasters heighten the sense of speed especially in low roof or tunnel areas of the ride. This allows for slower coasters and shorter tracks to be used while still delivering on demands for high levels of rider thrill. The coasters provide passengers with new and interesting view points of the show and ride environment. Test passengers commented on seeing things in the old and existing coaster attraction that they had never seen before even though they had ridden the original coaster many, many times. The passenger POV and perspective on the ride set/environment (or “show”) was new and exciting and set pieces/structure may appear larger from the reclined perspective. The lift hill feels like a vertical lift since the combination of vehicle body/frame tilt and seat back horizontal position tilts the passenger even farther back, and this was found by the passengers to be fun and interesting. The roller coaster provides fun transitions between tight tunnels and low ceiling portions to portions of the track in which the nearby structure is more wide open and may have higher ceiling rooms or be outdoors. Overhangs or “bridged” were very surprising, exciting, and/or frightening to the test coaster passengers as they could not see them approaching, and twists, turns, and drops had a heightened sense of thrill since the rider was unprepared for the dynamic experience.

[Q-man]

Originally Posted by N365PA

Some sort of Bobsled of Luge coaster couldbe fun with this idea. I cant for the life of me tie this in to any disney movie or attraction (other than the Matterhorn).

Clint

Cool Runnings(Jamaican bobsled team) is an early 90's Disney movie. Can't wait for the Reggae theme.

[WizardLarz]

Make these for Space Mountain, Please!

[DanBoris]

Originally Posted by WizardLarz

Make these for Space Mountain, Please!

The patent actually talks about this in the context of a way to "refresh" an existing coaster to make it a fresh experience for riders. Space Mountain would be a perfect use for this since there is not much to see anyway when you are riding it so the reclining position would work well.

Of course just because there is a patent, doesn't mean there are any actual plans to use the idea.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) When I consulted at Arrow Dynamics, they were working on this. *
2) When they went bankrupt, S&S bought them.
3) I wonder if they dropped the idea, or Disney bought it?

* Arrow Dynamics designed and built coasters. I worked on coasters
for Cedar Point, Knotts Berry Farm and Six Flags. In fact, Arrow built the
DLR Matterhorn ride!

[elaine amj]

I like the idea of something that feel substantially more thrilling without actually being too scary for the non-thrill riders amongst us. Wonder if it will affect those who deal with motion sickness (like my DH).

Sounds like costs would be lowered too if they could get away with a shorter track.

[SpacePlace]

Originally Posted by TheRustyScupper

1) When I consulted at Arrow Dynamics, they were working on this. *
2) When they went bankrupt, S&S bought them.
3) I wonder if they dropped the idea, or Disney bought it?

* Arrow Dynamics designed and built coasters. I worked on coasters
for Cedar Point, Knotts Berry Farm and Six Flags. In fact, Arrow built the
DLR Matterhorn ride!

That is awesome. AD was a key player in making DL a success. Did you know Karl Bacon or Ed Morgan?

AD worked with Walt and ride designers like Bob Gurr to help develop rides like Mad Tea Party, King Arthur Carrousel, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Snow White's Scary Adventure, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Autopia, Alice in Wonderland, Matterhorn Bobsleds, It's a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Adventure Thru Inner Space, Haunted Mansion, and more. I know that you know all this but I just have to say it on the board in case anyone else doesn't because if you don't know the DL-AD history, it is awesome and you have to read the book "Roller Coasters, Flumes and Flying Saucers."

It's interesting that AD was briefly working on this ride technology. It seems like this patent application that Disney has filed for is not that unique.