roller-coaster-drop-swing-track-patent-1-2000x1088-1.jpg

Disney Patents New “Drop Swing Propulsion” Roller Coaster & Water Ride Experience

We want you to get the most out of your ‘luxury villa’ stay in Solterra, Davenport (near Championsgate and just south of the Disney World Resort area). To help out, we have sourced the following blog post to keep you up to date with news from Walt Disney World Resort. Thanks to the guys over at Blog Mickey for the original post...

A new patent filed by Disney describes a new “Drop Swing Propulsion” ride experience designed for roller coasters and water rides to create a new drop sensation. The patent outlines the need for a new ride experience for roller coasters and water rides – two types of attractions that Disney calls predictable and in need of innovation. In the patent, Disney creates a new experience that uses a swing drop to create propulsion for ride vehicles such as those found in roller coasters and water rides.

In this first image, we can see the swing motion in action, with a ride vehicle dropping from the upper “load-in track” to the “exit track” via the “linkage track”. Disney describes the motion as a “combined drop and swing motion” that eventually propels the ride vehicle forward at the lower elevation from “energy generated by the drop and swing of the linkage track section”.

Disney goes on to describe an implementation where a water ride is able to use the same drop swing propulsion experience to create a change in elevation.

While a drop track experience exists already in attractions like Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, a “simple” drop still requires propulsion from a linear induction motor. This patent from Disney still accomplishes a change in elevation but utilizes physics to create forward motion via the drop and swing mechanism.

Another recently filed patent shows how Disney is focused on trying to create new experiences within the water ride attraction category. In the permit below, we can see a stationary water ride where Disney creates a boat motion simulator – perhaps for an implementation for a Moana-themed attraction.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!

That's all folks!

Well, for this post anyway. To stay tuned to the latest news from around the Orlando area, including Disney World, Universal Studios, SeaWorld and many more attractions, just ‘opt in’ to our weekly newsletter. We won’t spam you and you can opt back out if you ever get tired of news from Orlando. Like that would ever happen?!

Share this post