Emotional rollercoasters

Mixed Reality Laboratory (MRL) and design house

have been awarded £87,892 by the

(EPSRC) to develop thrill rides that can respond to human emotions.

Initial research will focus on developing real-time systems for monitoring and interpreting rider physiology, with the ultimate goal of creating rides that can automatically adapt to each rider's experience.

Aerial recently hosted the Thrill Laboratory events at the Science Museum in London and Alton Towers, which featured experiments developed with MRL. These involved strapping riders to monitoring equipment to reveal emotions while riding on the 'Oblivion' rollercoaster.

The MRL is a studio facility where academics at the university collaborate to explore the potential of the latest mobile technology. Biofeedback and recording technology allows physiological data to be monitored during a ride, including video of faces, audio, heart rate, galvanic skin response and acceleration.

The partners will trial different technologies to collect data across different types of rides and attractions at Alton Towers who are supporting the research. They will work closely with psychologists at Nottingham University to analyse the results they find and will be joined by RoboCoaster to identify future potential ride applications.