Ride Restriants

I came across this image of theme park ride restraints. I am always fascinated by restraints. Their purpose, obviously, is to retrain human bodies, but they should be analyzed on many levels. In addition to being safe, restraints should be comfortable and a part of the ride's story. Do these restraints look comfortable? Do they look like props of a story. I think they could could do better.




The next restraint, is certainly better designed. This shoulder harness for a jungle themed coaster named Kingda Ka is designed to fit a person's body. Unlike the hard, "bumpy" over-the-shoulder restraints, this restraint has thin flexible shoulder straps to give maximum comfort and freedom, in addition to safety. However, the restraint doesn't neccisarily support the jungle theme of the ride.

This final set of restraints are for a new roller coaster called the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Roller Coaster at Universal Studios, Orlando. The parks markets the ride as a Total Immersion Entertainment and Puts Guests In The Director’s Seat. This is a very successful restraint. Not only is the restraint safe, and comfortably designed, it is also a functional part of the ride's story.
The music themed coaster is the "country’s only coaster where guests can choose the soundtrack to their ride from songs representing five different genres of music. They will use a

personal touchpad – or guest interface panel – mounted on the lap bar to make their selection. The panel is designed for ease of use and visibility. It is military-grade durable and waterproof. And it uses wireless servers to upload each rider’s music pick."

This is a super example of using a restraint for all that it can be: a safe, comfortable, storytelling piece of design.