A matter of hygiene and manuals

A matter of hygiene and manuals

17 December 2019 Off By Facto Edizioni

/ by Aldo Avancini /

Aldo Avancini focuses on the increasingly common virtual or augmented reality attractions.

Ing. Aldo Avancini / Proposta Srl

For some time now, with increasing frequency, I have come across attractions that are based on the concept of creating perceptions of a virtual world, that is, attractions that in various ways modify or influence the guest’s perception, acting on their senses, above all vision, being the dominant sense in a person’s life. Similar, but not the same, is augmented reality, increasingly found on attractions, which integrates the existing external reality with computer-generated images. 

Despite being open and particularly receptive to all new techniques or technologies that create or manage the feelings that guests seek so strongly, I cannot however ignore a couple of non-minor details.

Basically, these new VR/AR attractions, with a capacity that can range from one single guest to large numbers, feature a metallic structure in accordance with normal standards, some actuators, normally pneumatic, a computer and different types of headsets. I feel there are essentially 2 types of problems: the hygiene of the headsets, and the attraction’s user manuals.

Regarding the former, I have seen many different solutions; in my opinion, some not only are not very useful, but I would dare to say quite questionable, ranging from washing, to vibration cleaning to the use of sterile masks, all solutions that are hard to apply across large numbers.

More intriguing, however, is the fact that the main element of these attractions is the computer, which much of the user and maintenance manual is dedicated to, thus devoting just a few lines to routine maintenance (checking the straps, lubricating the actuator rods, and so on).

Needless to say, this situation is quite embarrassing when registering the attraction, and the user and maintenance manual is limited in most cases to a few tips, such as “lubricate the actuator rods”, so extremely simple and intuitive, while most of the manual is dedicated to computer programming and “call service” whenever any mechanical or electrical problem arises. I would not want these attractions to become like common vending machines, with the number to be called when the machine does not work clearly highlighted. If a hot drink machine doesn’t work, the guest can’t get a coffee. What about when an attraction doesn’t work? 

Taken from Games&Parks Industry December 2019, page 76

Ing. Aldo Avancini /  Proposta Srl / proposta_design@yahoo.it