Alton Towers visitors set for RFID ride

Alton Towers is introducing a radio frequency identification (RFID) system to allow visitors to have their day at the theme park recorded on personalised souvenir DVDs.

The YourDay in the Park video-capture system will use RFID bracelets to identify wearers, who will be captured on cameras stationed at key rides and attractions around the site.

The video clips will be routed, catalogued and digitally stored in DVD format, for customers to retrieve later in the day.

The DVDs will contain up to 30 minutes of stock and personalised footage.

YourDay Video Technologies is working with Venue Solutions and Sony Professional Solutions Europe to create the system, which will come into use at Alton Towers in April 2007.

Andy Davies, commercial services director at Alton Towers, says initial research suggests take-up will be high.

‘We will have 80 to 100 cameras in the first instance to help capture and compile a record of a visitor’s day,’ he said.

‘Eighty-four per cent of visitors we asked had a positive impression of the service.’

Davies believes visitors will not be overly concerned about the invasion of privacy implications of wearing the bracelets.

‘We will not force the bracelets onto people and the cameras will be unobtrusive, so they will not feel like they are being watched,’ he said.

Davies is confident that the system will be able to cope with high demand.

‘At peak times the park has up to 30,000 visitors every day. We won’t achieve 100 per cent take-up of the bracelets, but the system will be capable of high volumes of processing.

‘It will be able to compile and burn a DVD in minutes, so visitors can pick them up when they leave,’ he said.

Technology requirements will be defined over the next three months. How the bracelets will be given out is not yet decided.

‘A big challenge is distributing the bracelets,’ said Davies. ‘We will look at the cost of giving out thousands of bracelets weighed up against making sure people are aware of the service.’

The Sony video cameras will also be used for security purposes, to help tackle vandalism and prevent break-ins.

MoD extends RFID