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  • BBC Science Focus Magazine

    DOING IT FOR THE THRILL

    Jun 25, 2020 6 minutes

    WHAT DOES A ‘THRILL ENGINEER’ DO?

    I came up with the term because I really like the idea of combining the objective practice of engineering, creating things with rules, with the subjective elements of human emotions. So, being a thrill engineer means I craft extreme, human emotional experiences, using design principles.

    WHAT PSYCHOLOGICAL LEVERS ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL WHEN YOU DESIGN A ROLLERCOASTER?

    If I put you on a rollercoaster and blindfolded you, your body’s levels of arousal would pretty precisely track the changes in acceleration forces felt around the ride. Rollercoasters are successful because they really grab hold of that element of arousal and, because it’s so tightly interlinked with physical sensations that we get from the world, we can almost force an emotional experience by the very shape of the rollercoaster.

    WHAT EMOTIONS DO WE GO THROUGH ON A RIDE?

    We have 43 different muscle groups in the face, and any combination can express different emotions that we’re feeling.

    I was interested in using the techniques that computers use

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