First Virtual Reality Water Slide

by Rashi Agarwal

Some may say that VR (Virtual Reality) and water don’t go well together. While some more may argue – Aren’t roller coaster rides an experience in themselves? Then why the need to enhance the adventure by using VR.

Combining roller coasters with VR is not a very new concept. The ‘Ride of Steel’ roller coaster at Six Flags in Maryland helps Superman’s fans dive into his world.

However, recently, the world’s first VR enhanced water slide was opened. Its called ‘Space Glider’. It is located at Europe’s biggest water park, the Galaxy Erding in South Germany. The ride takes the exciting experience to an entirely different level by giving riders three choices of different worlds – Space, Sky, or Snow.

Riders wear a headset, and can hence glide through a magical foreign world, follow beautiful angels and mermaids or be hit by snowballs. The ride is 160 metres long and lasts about 35 seconds.

The ride has been developed by California based start-up Ballast. The impressive part is that the headsets are fully waterproof and can be immersed in water without getting spoilt. The VR experience also changes with the user’s speed.

Ballast is very excited about the ride’s success, but they want to aim higher. They want to develop an experience where people can actually swim underwater while viewing a sight full of dolphins and underwater creatures, and all this without having to wear a very big headset. Lets wait for it!