Universal City Studios received U.S. Patent 12,697,553 on August 4 for a system that uses flowing fluid to propel amusement ride vehicles.
The design places a propulsion assembly on the vehicle. Adjustable surfaces extend into a stream running through a trough, catch that flow and create the force that moves the vehicle. The patent says the fluid could be a liquid such as water or a gas such as air.
How the proposed ride system works
In one version, a ride vehicle travels above a trough while a fin or paddle beneath it reaches into the moving fluid. The system can change the surface's angle or how far it extends into the flow, allowing the vehicle to accelerate, slow or change direction.
The patent describes configurations for boats and wheeled vehicles. It also shows multiple propulsion surfaces that could be adjusted independently, potentially giving the vehicle more control than a boat carried only by a water current.
Universal filed the underlying application in February 2023, and the application became public in August 2024. The new development is the granted U.S. patent. A patent protects the described invention, but it does not establish that Universal has approved, built or assigned the system to a specific attraction.
Source: U.S. Patent 12,697,553.
Image: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.