If you decide to play with the Buzzball, you better have a nice bit of land to roll around on.  The nice thing about the Buzzball is that you get the thrills and chills of a rollercoaster without having to leave the ground. 

Buzzball  is still in the development stage.  At the moment, this solo ride is powered by two different motors.  One for the inside of the Buzzball and one for the outside.

What exactly does that mean?  Well, in the Buzzball is a seat.  When strapped in the seat, you have access to left and right control triggers that allow you to control the Buzzball experience.

You can apply power to just the inner ball (where the seat is) and have fun spinning on its axis or you can power both the inner and outer wheels and get a truly narly ride.  Applying power equally will cause "the pod [to] rear up as the wheels climb up the face of the ball forcing the ball to rotate around the pod and powering the Buzzball forward."

With practice and a stout heart, participants can recreate such rollercoaster standards as the barrel roll, and cork screw - all the fun without the height.  Of course, motion sickness is still a possibility and if it hits, it will hit back on the rider since there is no where else for it to go.

Presumably, this might be a purchase for those with more money than sense but more than likely, this will be something purchased by an entrepreneur for street fairs, festivals and State fairs.  This would be a ride that only needs some level ground and a strong stomach.

The creator of the Buzzball must have been fascinated with gyroscopes as a child because this machine is what you would get if you attempted to place someone in the middle of a giant gyroscope. 

When then the Buzzball is finally produced, look for it at an amusement park near you.

Entry was posted on Sunday, June 29th, 2008 at 6:51 pm under Technology, Amusing, Strange.  Print This Post