News Update

May 2009

The Gadget Show Uses Vital Jacket to Test Out the UK's Scariest Rides
Vital Jacket® found itself centre stage at 3 of the UK's top theme parks recently, as Channel 5's The Gadget Show, set out to scientifically test which had the scariest and most exhilarating roller coaster ride.

Thorpe Park, Alton Towers and Drayton Manor Park provided the venues and Ortis Deley, one of the shows presenters was coerced into testing Stealth, Air and Apocalypse. The 3 rides cost over £35million to create and are attraction centre pieces for each of the theme parks.

Suzi Perry, another of the shows presenters took the safe option and kept her feet firmly on the ground, working with Nigel Stockill, Natalie Allcock and Simon Shepard from Optima-life and Doug Thake of Coventry University, on recording and analysing his data.

The testing looked at three areas; levels of adrenalin, which was recorded using before and after blood analysis, grip which was tested using a hand grip dynamometer and heart rate change which was measured using Vital Jacket®.

Vital Jacket's® mobile ECG technology which is incorporated into a t-shirt, proved the perfect vehicle for recording heart rate data. Ortis wore the shirt throughout the testing and once the ride was completed, data was downloaded from the SD memory card onto a laptop. Vital Jacket is also compatible with Firstbeat Technology and this was incorporated into the data produced to provide instant reports.

Stealth is the UK's fastest roller coaster and the ride gets up to speeds of 80 miles an hour in 2.3 seconds with 4.5G's of acceleration. Air, at Alton Towers is an inverted roller coaster where passengers hang underneath a rail track while Drayton Park's Apocalypse hoists you vertically 54 metres into the air and the ride then drops to the ground, tilting forward by 15º all in the space of 4 seconds, with a force of 4G's. All are pulse raising by most standards but the results proved some were more than others.

While Stealth proved more heart thumping than Air, it was Apocalypse that took the overall honours. Ortis Deley's adrenalin rush increased by 1500% and his heart rate went from a standing heart rate of 60 to a staggering 163 beats per minute in just 4 seconds, while strapped in his chair.

Ortis continued to wear the Vital Jacket to see how his heart responded to the stress of
two simulators, the Morphis Movie Ride Simulator and the X2 FX Simulator and, in a final experiment to recreate a rollercoaster simulator in Suzi Perry's home. While not quite as 'crazy' as the theme parks, the X2 managed to provide a major thrill factor.

Simon Shepard, CEO of Optima-life said:
'This was such a great way to show the versatility of Vital Jacket®. It's traditionally used in the sport and health markets but standing the test of 4.5 G's in this amazing setting showed its potential. The t-shirt is really comfortable and it is such an accurate way of providing heart rate data on the move.'

To see how Vital Jacket® was used, in the words of Ortis Deley, on 'the craziest machines ever created' follow this link http://gadgetshow.five.tv/gadget-show/blog/episode-12-roller-coasters-lawnmowers-usb-gadgets