Guest Retention System for a Ride
A major theme park owner was concerned that guests in a low-speed boat ride might be tempted to get out of the boat during the ride and potentially enter unsafe areas within the attraction. That concern drove a new requirement that the boats be equipped with a guest retention system. Since most of the rest of the ride elements were designed (and in some cases installed) when this new requirement surfaced, the new system had to meet aggressive weight and schedule targets while minimizing any impact to other ride systems that were already designed or built.
TWT evaluated multiple options to satisfy the revised requirements. Commercially-available lap restraint systems or systems that had been used on the client’s other rides were assessed, but none could meet all of the technical, schedule, packaging and environmental constraints. TWT proposed alternative systems that could be fielded using readily available parts, and the system selected was a centralized closed hydraulic system for the five rows of 4-passenger seats in the vehicle. This allowed for installation flexibility so that most of the equipment could be packaged in the “trunk” of the vehicle, behind the rear seat.
Each lap restraint is controlled by a rotary hydraulic actuator. Nearly all of the components used in the system, other than the hydraulic manifold and the various brackets, were commercially available parts with proven performance and short lead times.
The system operates at low pressures (below 600 psi) and utilizes a biodegradable working fluid. In the base version, the energy expended by the guests pulling the restraint down is stored and used to assist in raising the bar at the end of the ride. The system can be easily configured to include a stored gas source that reduces the effort required by the guests.
The system locks in both the up and down positions, which allows guests to use the bars as a hand hold while entering or exiting the vehicle. The lowered position is infinitely adjustable and the bars can be released either automatically or manually.
