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Oblivion Thrill Experiment to go ahead

Following on from the ATA poll on the event, Alton Towers have decided to go ahead with the roller coaster Thrill Experiment later this year.

You can see the poll results and a video from a previous Thrill Experiment here.

The full details of the event are as follows:

Thrill Laboratory is an entertaining event, where guests are invited to revel in both the carnival, and the science of thrill. This September, Thrill Laboratory will visit Alton Towers where riders of Oblivion can expect to be given an unusual personal insight into their own psyche - and perhaps that of the laboratory staff too…

Thrill Laboratory is run by Brendan Walker, the world's only Thrill Engineer. Brendan will be joined at Alton Towers by (i) his trusted Thrill Technicians who will make sure riders are 'taken care of' in the laboratory; (ii) a team of Thrill Assistants, who are all trainee doctors of psychology; and (iii) a team of Thrill Technologists, who specialise in capturing emotional experiences for broadcast and analysis.

Results from this event will also feed into ongoing research into the Walker Thrill Factor - an international standard for rating thrilling experiences - and will hopefully influence the design of future thrill rides.

The Thrill Laboratory package will include:
A. Personal Thrill Profiling
B. An exhibition, with video screening and talks
C. Digital Souvenirs

A. Personal Thrill Profiling
Thrill Laboratory will take residence within Springfield House, facing Oblivion.

Each day, four different groups of 20 Oblivion riders will attend Thrill Laboratory for 1½ hour profiling sessions. Riders will be able to choose which session they attend when they book (subject to availability). Dates are subject to final confirmation, but are likely to be 19th, 20th and 21st September 2007.

Each Personal Thrill Profiling session will include:

• A warm welcome by Thrill Technicians who will issue riders with personal Thrill Dossiers to be completed during their time in the lab
• A briefing by Thrill Engineer, Brendan Walker - head of Thrill Laboratory
• A ride on Oblivion assisted by Thrill Technologists. Riders will create their own Personal Ride Video, which will capture facial expressions, heart rate showing patterns of stress, and the G-Forces experienced on the ride. Riders will also receive instructions on how to give a professional running audio commentary of their ride experience
• A review of riders' videos in the laboratory, with analysis and discussion led by our Thrill Assistants
• An in-depth debriefing session with a Thrill Assistant about the ride experience
• Psychological Profiling using the internationally recognised Sensation Seeking Scale, and other techniques, to assess the thrill seeking tendencies of each rider
• Mug-shot photographs, and body measurements to create a visual and statistical record of riders' physical attributes as thrill seekers

B. Exhibition, with video screening and talks
At the end of each day there will be an exhibition in the Corporate Hospitality Suite featuring profiling sessions from all four groups. The Exhibition will include:

• A screening of selected highlights from Personal Ride Videos created during the day
• An exhibition of all Thrill Dossiers allowing riders to compare themselves against other Thrill Seekers
• A talk by Brendan Walker outlining the discoveries made at Thrill Laboratory that day
• A talk by a member of Oblivion's original design team explaining what their goals were when they developed the ride

C. Digital Souvenirs
Riders will be able to access results from their Personal Thrill Profiling sessions online after the event. These will include:

• Being able to watch and download all Personal Ride Videos
• Access to statistics from others tests, allowing riders to compare themselves against others

Price - Free
Dates - 19th, 20th and 21st September

Please note, this event will only go ahead if sufficient persons sign up to attend. Final event confirmation will be emailed to all those who send an email of interest once the number willing to participate is known.

Confirm your interest now by emailing thrill.lab@alton-towers.com.

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