Roller-ball roller coaster

Abstract

A novel roller coaster comprising a spherical, rotating rider-enclosure, wherein the roller coaster is transported along or within a track configured to transport the coaster, while converting coaster kinetic energy from potential energy and back. The rider is subjected to accelerations resulting from the coaster's transport, among which are rotational accelerations resulting from the rider enclosure. In a preferred embodiment, the coaster comprises a transport mechanism, the transport mechanism engaging and following a track. The spherical enclosure further includes a gimbal arrangement having a gyroscope, the gimbal arrangement supported by the transport mechanism. The gimbal arrangement contains at least one seat carrying a rider, and the motion of the rider is determined by the gyroscope that is controlled by a computer within the coaster. Therefore the motion of the rider is determined by the path of the transport mechanism and the rotation of the rider compartment under the computer controlled gyroscope. The spherical enclosure may roll within a track or the spherical enclosure may be attached to and carried by a traditional roller coaster conveyance.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.