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Rollercoaster innovations

Bowser

Bowser

TS Member
I was just wondering, is there a list of the main rollercoaster innovations? And what do people think will be next?

The ones that spring to mind at least in my lifetime (probably not in the correct order) are:

- Inversion
- Suspended
- Dive
- Vertical/Beyond vertical
- Flying
- Launched
- Freefall
- Winged
- Tilting
- Hyper/Giga/Exa
- Multidimensional

Of course height and speed will eventually reach their limit of human tolerance but personally i find some of the other innovations more exciting. It's something Alton Towers once made their name on and probably why a lot of us are here in the first place!
 
I'm surprised that we're yet to have a Flying Wing Coaster, but it's likely only a matter of time.

You've missed standing off your list, which has recently made a little bit of a comeback with the Surf Coaster models. We could have Standing Inverted, but I can't really see anyone wanting that.
 
I think an important innovation wasn’t just the launch coaster but the multi launch coaster. Launched coasters has been around for a while but relied upon a launch at a certain point (such as the Intamin and Vekoma hydraulic launch coasters or even the Arrow and Schwarzkopf launched flywheel shuttle coasters). But the innovation in being able to place multiple LSM boosts along the track anywhere has led to track layouts that wouldn’t have been possible before, as well as allowing for swing launches, etc.
 
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The super swift switch tracks (and associated failsafes) that change while the train is in motion, sometimes at an alarming speed.

They’ve allowed for some very creative solutions to the ruined pace of rides caused by stopping and waiting for one to unlock, change and lock into place again.

I’m sure there’s much more unexplored potential in using them.
 
Tear drop shaped inversions, the creation of these that didn't put a massive strain on the riders compared to the late 19th/early 20th century circular loops brought in a whole new type of coaster. It's invention almost perfectly timed with steel becoming the rollercoaster building material of choice.
 
Rocky Mountain Construction

Completely changed the idea of what parks can do with older wooden coasters which previously was just continue to maintain and retrack until it was no longer financially viable to do so.

From New Texas Giant onwards it almost immediately coined the term RMC it when discussing tired wooden coasters.

Brought back inverting wooden coasters.

All manner of insane ride elements that have definitely inspired other companies designers.


They've turned some awful coasters like Mean Streak into world class attractions people want to travel to parks to specifically ride.

Turn around times in re-opening, say you had your old coaster and wanted a new one on the same plot of land, your probably looking at minimum 18 months from coaster a closing and coaster b opening.
With RMC coasters like Robin Hood and Wildcat have ran for most of one season, closed and then reopened as Untamed and Wildcats Revenge the next year.

They've also created the Raptor Tracks (still not ridden one, shakes fist at Fiesta Texas) which quite clearly inspired Intamins wonderful Hot Racer model. Plus the still yet to be built T-Rex coaster type.

Definitely the biggest innovation with the most impact of the 2010s onwards.
 
John_P said:
Rocky Mountain Construction

Completely changed the idea of what parks can do with older wooden coasters which previously was just continue to maintain and retrack until it was no longer financially viable to do so.

From New Texas Giant onwards it almost immediately coined the term RMC it when discussing tired wooden coasters.

Brought back inverting wooden coasters.

All manner of insane ride elements that have definitely inspired other companies designers.


They've turned some awful coasters like Mean Streak into world class attractions people want to travel to parks to specifically ride.

Turn around times in re-opening, say you had your old coaster and wanted a new one on the same plot of land, your probably looking at minimum 18 months from coaster a closing and coaster b opening.
With RMC coasters like Robin Hood and Wildcat have ran for most of one season, closed and then reopened as Untamed and Wildcats Revenge the next year.

They've also created the Raptor Tracks (still not ridden one, shakes fist at Fiesta Texas) which quite clearly inspired Intamins wonderful Hot Racer model. Plus the still yet to be built T-Rex coaster type.

Definitely the biggest innovation with the most impact of the 2010s onwards.
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I’d say that RMC was not just innovative in the sense of converting old wooden coasters but also changed the design philosophy behind thrill coasters themselves. At the time a lot of thrill coasters were either focused on intensity, airtime or breaking records. Coasters such as The Smiler, i305 and Formula Rossa are prime examples of this.

RMC rejected the maximalist approach to designing coasters and instead focused on being well-rounded rides which delivered a range of forces. We’ve seen the likes of Mack, Vekoma and Intamin all subsequently follow this approach and apply their own unique combinations of elements making ride layouts feel even more distinct from the ride before them.

In a decade that was defined by the increase and advancement of technology in our lives. It’s really weird how the 2010’s for rollercoaster design wasn’t driven primarily in advancements in technology but how we fundamentally approach our concepts of design!
 
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