Rainbow Air Helicopter Tours, known for providing helicopter rides over the falls, has collaborated with Frontgrid, a company specializing in innovative experiences, to develop a gamified aerial adventure over one of the globe’s most renowned waterfalls in virtual reality (VR).
Anna Pierce, VP of Rainbow Air, said:
“It is truly magnificent seeing Niagara Falls from the air. You really get a sense of scale and can appreciate the vastness of the volume of water as well as the journey the river takes through the wider landscape, where it comes from and where it goes to.
We’ve been taking visitors to see the falls, from above, in a helicopter for 30 years now, and we love giving people, what they always say is, the highlight of their stay at the Falls.
Now, we are excited to be launching this VR experience as a new, gamified way of exploring and connecting with the land and cityscape.”
The virtual reality attraction is set to debut on the United States side of Niagara Falls, within the newly constructed Rainbow Air Tourism Centre. This facility will feature a museum and heritage site, a gift shop, a photography studio, and a launch pad for Rainbow Air helicopter rides over the falls. Visitors will have the opportunity to engage with the VR attraction during their wait time.
Matt Wells, the CEO of Frontgrid said:
“This attraction is going to be a world-first. It uses our motion-based engineering, called ParadropVR Rize 4, which moves people through a 4m drop. The motion is finely tuned with what the participant is seeing. They use handles to self-steer themselves around the environment. It really does give the sensation of flying under canopy.”