Frontgrid, the UK-based adventure experience company, has signed an exclusive rights deal with immersive attraction specialists TEQ4 to distribute ParadropVR™ – the world’s first virtual reality paragliding experience – to the North American market.
Frontgrid will work alongside TEQ4 to develop unique experiences for ParadropVR using TEQ4’s VRider technology and by creating its own library of highly realistic content and gameplay.
ParadropVR will be the world’s first VR paragliding experience – delivering the feeling of soaring through the air and the realism of being under parachute – but without the danger or huge expense. It will use highly accurate virtual-reality motion and media technology to make this one of the most realistic VR experiences to be found anywhere.
Developed by two Special Forces veterans who want to bring the excitement and thrill of paragliding to the general public, ParadropVR launched at EAS (Euro Attractions Show) 2017 in Berlin this week.
Matt Wells, Co-founder and CEO of Frontgrid, said: “Frontgrid will be working alongside TEQ4 in North America, and Simworx across the rest of the world, to take ParadropVR to market. We’re thrilled to team-up with two fantastic partners with such a broad set of skills that means we can offer an exciting range of products and content worldwide.”
ParadropVR – realistic and thrilling
ParadropVR has been designed to give riders full control of movement when they paraglide. They will experience the sharp drops and smooth deceleration that a real paraglider would. And, riders won’t just fly virtually: ParadropVR is a fixed experience that will move riders vertically.
TEQ4’s Managing Director, Martin Howe, said the experience will also include interactive game features, with users able to score points by flying through targets on their way back to earth:
“ParadropVR is the VR experience that authentically recreates what it’s like to fly under a canopy, but without the hundreds of hours of training that it takes to do it safely. It’s really the only way many people could ever hope to get this kind of experience – so it’s exciting to think we’re making it so accessible. ParadropVR is realistic and thrilling, just like the real thing, but with added gameplay and challenges along the way.”
Standard configurations of the attraction will be four to 12 rider units, in line or double, and six to 20 rider units in a circular layout.
Key specifications:
- Each unit measures 2.5 x 2.5 x 4.5m.
- Minimum rider height – 1.2m
- Maximum rider weight – 25st (160kg)
- Ride/game time – approximately 2 minutes
- Total hourly ride capacity (THRC) for the four to 12 rider in line or double units – 80 to 240; THRC for the six to 20 rider circular units – 120 to 400
