Design Epcot’s Newest Roller Coaster Each Time You Ride

Opening today, Epcot’s Sum of All Thrills ride will change every time you ride. That’s because you’ll draw your design on a touchscreen computer before hopping on.

Using prerendered chunks of track and a digital ruler, you can shape the path of their virtual roller coaster, bobsled track or jet flight. (Should you draw something that’s impossible to perform, the system will guide and correct you.)

As for the simulation itself, your fate is in the hands of an industrial robot arm from Kuka Robotics, like you’ve seen in car plants. We can only assume that the robot shakes you at high velocities until you feel dizzy or sick, all while fans occasionally blow air at your face to simulate velocity.

Several years back, I tested a similar build-your-own coaster ride at DisneyQuest. Some effects were actually pretty wonderful, but the customisation was fairly limited and the simulators were far more typical. Knowing my well-being is in the grasp of a robot that could literally destroy me makes the whole prospect a lot more exciting. [CNN]