RFID in water parks, could this be the next step?

I recently went to Noah’s Ark, America’s largest water park located in the Wisconsin Dells. It was a great experience as I was able to go with most of my immediate family. The rides were amazing, including a 360 degree looped waterslide.

Now that I am back at work, my mind is racing. I’m thinking over all of the different opportunities there were for RFID.

The first implementation is safety. People are human and prone to error, and body slides as well as other attractions are only safe for people within a certain height and weight limit. Outside of these limits, the rides can quickly become dangerous. If human error reared its ugly head at the wrong moment, if a scale read a person’s weight incorrectly, if the life-guard merely forgot to check a child’s height, the person could be in danger.

However, if everyone was both weighed and measured for height as they entered the park, with the results being recorded in an individualized wristband, many of these possible situations could be removed. The lifeguard would merely have to scan each rider before each ride. The ride would read the tag and instantly know whether the height and weight are within the permissible range. A light would then light up green or red, approved or unapproved. For further assurance, an audible signal could also be implemented. This feature would also remove the sometimes embarrassing practice of having your weight displayed for all to see.

The problem with this, however, is the swapping of bands. This practice could easily endanger people and a system of ensuring the original owner of the band would probably have to be implemented.

However, once these bands are incorporated within a park, they can easily be used for other purposes as well. They could be used for setting status updates on Facebook, much as Ushuaia Beach Hotel did http://www.rfidhut.com/ushuaia-beach-hotel-boldly-going-where-many-will-follow/. They could also “like” certain rides. This would, in itself, cause a lot of marketing for minimal cost to the park.

Additionally, the park could have self-serve stands such as the Coca-Cola machines used by Royal Caribbean’s cruise line http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/purchase/8579. However, instead of special cups, special bands would provide access to the self-service drink stands.

Also, speed passes, like those used at the popular Six Flags amusement parks could be automated, allowing people to “beat the line” only if they had paid extra for a specialized band, removing the cost of labor used at the speed pass only entrance.

These are just the obvious implementations. RFID bracelets could be used to reconnect lost children with their families or even to help people find their cars. With RFID, possibilities are open for improvements all over the user experience.

If you think your company could gain from RFID, contact Ron Pulvermacher. He and his team of engineers have been working with RFID for more than 20 years. Contact Ron at 608 834-1661 for more information.