Gravitron

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The Gravitron is a portable amusement ride common at fairs and carnivals. It first appeared in 1983 at Morey's Piers and was designed and built by Wisdom Industries. It is based on an earlier ride called the Rotor.

Inside, the ride is completely enclosed with 48 padded panels lining the wall. Riders lean on these panels as the ride spins. The walls are angled, and as the ride rotates, centrifugal force pushes riders against the wall and the panels rise up to support them. Because the riders move with the walls, their feet don’t touch the floor. The ride can spin up to 24 rotations per minute, reaching that speed in under 20 seconds with a 33 kW motor, giving about three times the force of gravity.

Older designs often had a light-up sign that said "THRILLER" or the show name; newer versions may not. The ride operator sits in the center and controls lighting and music, and some models include CCTV cameras to let others watch. Some variants don’t have a ceiling.

The Gravitron travels on a single 15-meter trailer for transport and can be set up in under six hours and packed in three.

There have been notable accidents. In 1991 at the Missouri State Fair, the ride came apart, injuring seven children. In 2004 at the Dade County Youth Fair in Miami, a panel came off and three riders were ejected, injuring seven people. In 2007 in Spokane, a teenage rider was injured after climbing a wall during the ride; investigators said the ride itself was safe and the accident was due to rider behavior. In 2023 at the Smith County Fair, a worker died during maintenance because of miscommunication about testing the ride.