MIT Students Build Wooden Roller Coaster on Campus

Undergraduate students living in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) dorms are invited every year to take part in Resident Exploration Week (REX), during which the school’s residence halls host a variety of different activities for students to participate in. And this year, some of the students built a wooden roller coaster. That’s cool. I remember my freshman year of college, we had a snowball fight. Of course, I didn’t go to MIT.

The coaster features a 130-foot long track with a sled platform that takes a single rider over a number of hills in reverse, then forward, and is entirely powered by gravity. I wonder if any of the students involved are going to go on to become professional roller coaster designers. I mean, what better use of an MIT education is there?

The team created the initial design for the coaster in 3D CAD software before being reviewed by architects, the university, and the City of Cambridge to receive the necessary building permits and safety certifications. Me? I would have just built the coaster under the cover of darkness without all the necessary permits. I hate red tape; I only use classic silver duct tape.

[via TechEBlog]