Media-based attractions specialists Cavu Designwerks have revealed plans for a brand new dark water ride concept.
Unveiled at the IAAPA attractions expo, Amazon Drifter is a combination of immersive high-definition media, special effects and water. Currently under development, the company is in the midst of creating a layout with a potential rollout for 2016.
“We’ve been on some pretty dull and dreary boat rides, we wanted to spice it up,” Daryl White, president of Cavu, told
Attractions Management.
“We’ve created a concept that marries the traditional indoor dark ride with water, using a floating vehicle that bounces and spins around in a locale with projected media and sets.”
The 12 passenger concept, themed around an Amazon River adventure, floats down a waterway in a trough. Below the boat will be a submerged conveyor belt with a motion base underneath it. Using this technology, the dark water ride will be able to bounce the boat up, roll it from side-to-side and even turn it 360 degrees. On- and off-board SFX elements such as wind, mist, scent, heat and cool air also add to the immersive experience.
“The goal isn’t to get wet. It’s basically a little bit of thrill, but a fun family ride with some adventure to it,” added White. “We’re designing a layout right now and we hope to have something next year. We have developed a generic story for now but the ride can be themed however an operator would like.”
Because of its bespoke nature, cost will be entirely dependant on layout and features. The ride system has been developed entirely in-house, while AV specialists Kraftwerk are providing AV elements for the ride. Amazon Drifter offers a small footprint, as well as the potential for multiple layouts depending on location.