Exciting new kit is being used to support people with disabilities ranging from blindness to missing limbs. This opens up the possibility of creating attractions where they can enjoy the experience with friends and family in a way not previously possible

Imagine being able to create an attraction which is equally accessible and enjoyable for people with physical or sensory disabilities and the able bodied. We could enable families and friendship groups with members who struggle with their vision, mobility or senses to enjoy a day out where everyone can fully participate, with all the joy that brings.

Now that possibility is increasingly within reach, thanks to a raft of new technology emerging in the fields of 3D sound,bvirtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), robotics and brain computer interfaces (BCI). We, as an industry, need to be paying very careful attention to these developments.

Some of this exciting new technology was on show recently at the world’s first Cybathlon, held in Zurich, Switzerland. This event –essentially a bionic Olympic Games – saw severely disabled people competing in a range of different races, challenges and tasks using the latest robotics and innovations in prosthetics. This included powered exoskeleton races, powered prosthetics races and BCI races, where competitors used brain signals both to control avatars in a specially developed computer game and also to control various devices, such as motorised tractor wheelchairs.

Unlike the Paralympics, where athletes are prohibited from using powered aids, Cybathlon puts technology at the centre of the competition, showcasing its potential uses in day to day life for those with severe disabilities.

There are many directly transferable ideas for attractions innovators which could be gleaned from strong collaboration with the research and development teams working on these projects in labs and universities around the world.

Also exciting is the development work being done around VR and AR technology, where some truly groundbreaking discoveries are being made in relation to sensory challenges.

Oculus Touch, part of the Oculus VR system, is enabling people born with missing fingers to experience what it’s like to have a full set – the technology tricks the brain, so that actual sensation can be felt in fingers which have never been there.

This is thought likely because feelings of phantom movement are modulated by the parts of the brain that deal with sight, so the brain is reorganising in response to the experience.

Researchers are also finding powerful ways to connect people with vision impairment to the everyday world around them. These include wearable VR and AR aids which respond to the wearer’s head movement and magnify whatever they’re looking at. These systems have enabled users with limited vision to see more clearly and, in some cases, to read.

Auditory and haptic virtual environments which enable blind people to experience environments and build brain maps of them are also being developed using 3D sound technology.

It’s possible to foresee a day – once all this wonderful emerging technology has been developed and democratised through low-cost applications – when designers have the right tools to create the next generation of inclusive attractions.

Liz Terry, editor. Twitter: @elizterry