AquaSwitch – Patent pending!
The new type of slide with two switch elements.
The slide starts normally as an open or enclosed slide. Then follows a switch element, in which the user can continue sliding on two different slide paths.
If the slide speed is sufficient, the upper apex is reached and the user can follow the further slide course downwards (slide path forward). If the speed is too low, users stop briefly and then slide backwards down the switch element and follow a second slide path (slide path backwards).
The behavior in the first switch element can be influenced from the outside.
A water tank at the high point can specifically drain water and thus make it more difficult to reach the high point. This can be done automatically, possibly by measuring the slide speed beforehand. It is also conceivable that spectators can trigger the water surge from the outside via a button.
Second switch element
Starting from the first switch element, there are two different slide paths, which are brought together again in a second switch element. The special feature is that the sliding direction of the backward slider is changed again, so that the sliders reach the landing forward in any case.
The slide was designed and constructed by a student as part of a bachelor thesis.
The idea is patent pending. Earlier patents and concepts with similar constructions have been applied for and also realized. The concept of the AquaSwitch differs from all previous publications in that it always ensures that the sliders arrive forward in the landing pool.
With the idea to influence the slide path in the first switch element by a water surge, a second patent was applied for.
Technical data
Track length: from ~120 m
Starting height: ~10 m
Throughput: 120 persons / h
Water flow: 120 m³/h (start) + ~ 50 m³/h (water tank)