even the wind as you race through the various worlds of
play.
This type of VR tech has seen a major uptick in recent
years as the technology has continued to improve. Parks
like Six Flags have implemented this technology with
existing roller coasters, as has SeaWorld Orlando with the
Kraken coaster, which we covered in our July 2017 issue.
Riders now can enter an entirely virtual world syncing
perfectly with the experience of the real-time dips, dives,
and thrills of the physical coaster’s movements.
Korean company Sangwha displayed an interesting VR-
coaster which has riders board a robotic arm-based 5D
simulator vehicle with interior projections, that is sync’d
with a small robotic camera on a twisting coaster-style
track. The effect is that of completely experiencing an
actual roller coaster, with a minimal footprint for the
entire attraction.
Another innovative use of VR, robotics and simulation
tech was D3D Cinema and Swiss company Somniacs
Birdly®. This full-body VR flight experience allows users
to experience the thrill of flight through precise sensor-
motor coupling including multi-hinged flaps, motion
feedback, headwind simulation, a bevy of different scents,
3D audio and a high resolution virtual landscape – a truly
breathtaking experience.
Bringing the IAAPA
experience closer to home,
we stopped by the booth
of WG’s Plant Street-based
Birket Engineering. Many
folks may be curious about
the light flashing inside
the darkened building adjacent to the Garden Theatre
where the model trains are displayed in the window.
This is the home to Birket, a pioneering company in the
areas of specialty lighting, ride & show control systems,
and pyrotechnic controls. At the Expo, Birket debuted
a new product that is a daisy-chained LED pixel system
with individually controllable lights – a system that will
continue to raise the bar for interior and exterior area
and attraction lighting.
Another innovation Birket featured at IAAPA was the
product result of their partnership with USDrobotics – the
Drobotron DL1200 flying billboard drone. Combining
Birket’s a dvanced lighting capabilties with USDrobotics’
leading-edge drone technology, the Drobotron brings
the world of digital content to the skies using a 47”, 8
motor drone aircraft outfitted with a 40” x 10” hi-res
DECEMBER 2017
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WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE
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29