The Gravitron is an

amusement ride Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

, most commonly found as a portable ride at

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

s and

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

s. The Gravitron first appeared at

Morey's Piers Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks is a classic seaside amusement park located on The Wildwoods' boardwalk in Wildwood and North Wildwood, New Jersey. The park has been family owned and operated since 1969 and is currently run by 2nd gen ...

in 1983 and quickly became a fixture at amusement parks in many countries. It is a modification of an earlier ride called the

Rotor Rotor may refer to: Science and technology Engineering *Rotor (electric), the non-stationary part of an alternator or electric motor, operating with a stationary element so called the stator * Helicopter rotor, the rotary wing(s) of a rotorcraft ...

. The ride was originally designed and manufactured by Wisdom Industries.

Names

The Gravitron is known by a variety of names. These include:

Design and operation

The ride is completely enclosed, with 48 padded panels lining the inside wall. Riders lean against these panels, which are angled back. As the ride rotates, the rider experiences a

centrifugal force In Newtonian mechanics, the centrifugal force is an inertial force (also called a "fictitious" or "pseudo" force) that appears to act on all objects when viewed in a rotating frame of reference. It is directed away from an axis which is paralle ...

pointing outward from the ride's center. This force, along with the slant in the walls, allows riders to be completely supported by the walls, without their feet touching the ground. The ride can rotate at a maximum frequency of 24 rpm. It reaches that frequency in less than 20 seconds, due to the 33 kW 3-phase motor. At this point, the riders are experiencing centrifugal force equivalent to three times the force of

gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

. There is usually a light-up sign saying "THRILLER" on the ride, but sometimes the sign says the name of the show. On some models, this is not on the ride. The ride operator is located in the center of the ride. Part of the operator's duty is to control lighting and music in addition to the ride itself. Some variants include

closed-circuit television camera A closed-circuit television camera can produce images or recordings for surveillance or other private purposes. Cameras can be either video cameras, or digital stills cameras. Walter Bruch was the inventor of the CCTV camera. The main purpose o ...

s, allowing waiting riders and passersby to observe the ride in action. There are a few versions of this ride that do not have a ceiling (i.e. the top canvas is not installed). The entire ride racks on a single trailer for transport. The ride can be assembled in less than six hours, and packed up in three.

Incidents

On August 20, 1991, a Gravitron spun itself apart at the

Missouri State Fair The Missouri State Fair is the state fair for the state of Missouri, which has operated since 1901 in Sedalia, Missouri. It includes daily concerts, exhibits and competitions of animals, homemade crafts, shows, and many food/lemonade stands, and ...

, injuring seven children. The accident led to a multi-party lawsuit against Murphy Enterprises, the operator of the ride, and Wisdom Manufacturing, resulting in modifications to the rides and stricter safety standards. In April 2004, an accident occurred at the Dade County Youth Fair in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, Florida, when a panel came off and three riders were ejected. One of these ejected riders was a 16-year-old girl who was critically injured. Seven people were injured, including two people outside the ride that were hit by debris. As a result, DCYF strengthened their safety guidelines and removed the ride from the park. On September 8, 2007, a teenage boy was injured while riding a Gravitron at the

Spokane County Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 539,339, making it the fourth-most populous county in Washington. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest cit ...

Interstate Fair in Washington State. The boy hit his head on a metal part of the ride and needed two staples in his scalp to close the wound. Witnesses reported that the boy ignored safety warnings and climbed the walls of the ride while it was in motion. State investigators determined that the ride was safe and that the accident was the result of the victim's behavior.

Locations

* Australia: At least six; ''Vortex'' at Dreamworld (removed in 2009) and five traveling models. *

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

, Hawaii: One traveling model owned by Wood Ent. Co.; named Area 51 * North America: Believed to be upwards of 40. * Bahamas: The Holiday Carnival hosts this ride. * United Kingdom:

Alton Towers Alton Towers Resort ( ) (often referred to as Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water park, ...

had this ride for three seasons from 1990 to 1992; it later moved to Pleasure Island. This ride is now located at the

Barry Island Pleasure Park Barry Island Pleasure Park is an amusement park situated on the coast at Barry Island in the Vale of Glamorgan, about south west of the capital city Cardiff, Wales. The park opened annually at weekends from Easter onwards and daily during the ...

near Cardiff. * Finland: Suomen Tivoli hosts this ride. * New Zealand: Two are owned by Mahons Amusements, mobile. * Canada: One is owned by Hinchey's Rides and Amusements, another by West Coast Amusements under the name Alien Abduction, one is owned by Puck's Farm near

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, and another is in Vancouver's

Pacific National Exhibition The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) is a nonprofit organization that operates an annual 15-day summer fair, 10-day winter fair, a seasonal amusement park, and indoor arenas in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The PNE fair is held at Hastings ...

, and is called Starship 3000 instead of Gravitron. Another tours Newfoundland every summer with Thomas Amusements, and is called Starship 3000 (previously Starship 2000 before refurbishment). One more Starship 3000 is owned by Albion Amusements, which makes a stop at

Wasaga Beach Wasaga Beach (or simply Wasaga) is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Situated along the longest freshwater beach in the world, it is a popular summer tourist destination. It is located along the southern end of Georgian Bay, approximate ...

, Ontario. One is also owned by Wild Rose Shows Attractions traveling all over Alberta some places in Saskatchewan, and it is called Area 51. One is owned by World’s Finest Shows, and it is called Alien Abduction.

Gallery

File:Gravitron4.png, The exterior of a Gravitron in

Madisonville, Kentucky Madisonville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Hopkins County, Kentucky, United States, located along Interstate 69 in the state's Western Coal Fields region. The population was 19,591 at the 2010 census. Madisonville is a com ...

File:OC Fair gravitron.jpg, A Starship 2000 in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

File:Devil's Hole.jpg, A Gravitron called "Devil's Hole" at

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. Gu ...

Grand Island, New York Grand Island is an island town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 21,389 representing an increase of 5.00% from the 2010 census figure. The town's name derives from the French name ''La Grand ...

Notes

References

External links

Patent for the Gravitron Design

David Burton's Gravitron Page

Wisdom Rides' Information Page for the Starship 2000
{{Amusement rides Amusement rides Amusement rides introduced in 1983