BrainSurge (attraction)

BrainSurge is the second newest ride at Nickelodeon Universe, and the first park model of Chance Morgan’s new UniCoaster flat ride was unveiled March 20, 2010. It is the first of two UniCoasters installed, the other being "Octotron" at Belmont Park in San Diego, California.[1]

The 56 ft diameter Unicoaster has been appropriately dubbed BrainSurge, which is based on the Nick television network’s game show of the same name. The ride sports an attractive illumination package that utilizes power-saving LED lights. In the center of the machine is a giant model of a brain that glows and flashes, sending ‘signals to the riders.’ It is located in the center of the park near the Avatar Airbender ride. The ride spins at 35 mph around the giant LED green, glowing brain. In this ride, riders control the orientation of their car—vertical, horizontal, or somewhere in between.

Reminiscent of Chance’s old Rok ‘n’ Rol or the Allan Herschell Looper, it features an undulating track with eight two-seater looping cars controlled by riders. This intriguing new interactive attraction, inspired by a concept from SkyCoaster inventor Bill Kitchen, features eight sweeps radiating from a central column. At the end of each sweep is a two-seat gondola with over-the-shoulder restraints. Sixteen riders per cycle use a lever between the seat pairs to control the forward/backward flipping motion of the individual gondolas as they travel around an undulating track at 35 mph. Ride time is 2 minutes per cycle.

Co-creator Bill Kitchen said, “We were looking for a way to reinvent the roller coaster but on a smaller footprint. The UniCoaster gives riders all of the thrills of a looping inverted roller coaster at a fraction of the space and price.”

Requiring approximately the same amount of real estate as a Scrambler or Tilt-a-Whirl, the new ride stands 18 feet tall and requires diameter clearance of only 56 feet including platform. Minimum passenger height is just 48 inches, the ride has a 5-point value.