Disney and Raytheon's New DIY Ride - "Sum Of All Thrills"

by amyellensoden | October 14, 2009 at 01:16 pm

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Disney's Epcot theme park in Orlando, FL has teamed up with Raytheon to introduce a DIY ride simulator. The ride is called "Sum Of All Thrills" and the idea is that children will use their math skills in an engineering type of virtual construction to create their own rides.

Military contractor Raytheon has helped to sponsor the new ride simulator as part of their corporate philanthropy program for youth.

The game, called Sum of All Thrills, will allow budding ride designers to let their imaginations run wild, either in person or online.

Visitors to Disney’s Epcot theme park in Orlando, Fla., will be able to use a touch screen to choose whether to design a roller coaster, bobsled or jet ride. Then they can use engineering tools like rulers and speed dials to add hills and corkscrews to the rides, while mathematical formulas for things like velocity and acceleration flash across the screen.

One the ride has been created, children will be able to enter a robotic simulator and experience the ride they created. The idea of the ride is to build up children's math skills and get them actively engaging in introductory engineering activities.

Raytheon's chief executive William Swanson believes that the new ride will help children understand the practical use of math skills in the real world.