A 4th Dimension roller coaster is a type of steel

Steel roller coaster

A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...

 roller coaster

Roller coaster

The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...

 whereby riders are rotated independently of the orientation of the track, generally about a horizontal axis that is perpendicular to the track. The cars do not necessarily need to be fixed to an angle.

History

John F. Mares, a corporate attorney, and Renato Manzoni, an italian engineer,invented the 4th Dimension roller coaster concept in 1995 and hold six US patents related to the technology of their spinning seat systems: US Patent #'s 5,791,254, 6,098,549, 6,227,121, 6,386,115, 6,477,961 & 6,606,953. As of July 30, 2011, three 4th dimension roller coasters: X2, Eejanaika and Green Lantern: First Flight, which were either built or installed in the United States, have been licensed by Mr. Mares' company (Meteoro Amusement Corporation) to Six Flags Inc., S&S Arrow LLC and IntaRide LLC, respectively. The first 4th Dimension roller coaster to be built, X, which opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in 2002, was designed by Mr. Manzoni's team and patented by Alan Schilke. 4th Dimension roller coasters are somewhat of a cross between roller coasters and the popular carnival ride known as the Zipper

Zipper (ride)

The Zipper is an amusement-thrill ride popular at carnivals and amusement parks in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It features strong vertical G-forces, numerous spins, and a noted sense of unpredictability....

.

S&S Arrow (formerly Arrow Dynamics)

Arrow Dynamics

Arrow Dynamics

Arrow Dynamics was a roller coaster and amusement ride design company based in Clearfield, Utah, United States. In 2002, the company went bankrupt but was quickly bought by fellow amusement ride manufacturer S&S Power to form S&S Arrow. During its peak, Arrow Dynamics was responsible for some of...

 was the first company to produce a 4th dimension roller coaster, lending its name to the ride style. The train

Train (roller coaster)

A roller coaster train or car describes the vehicle which transports passengers around a roller coaster's circuit. More specifically, a roller coaster train is made up of two or more "cars" which are connected by some sort of specialized joint. It is called a "train" because the cars follow one...

s feature seats capable of rotating forward or backward, 360 degrees in a controlled spin. This is achieved by having four rails on the track; two acting as per normal, and two to control the spin of the seats. The two rails that control the spin of the seats, known as "X Rails", vary in height relative to the track, and spin the train using a rack and pinion

Rack and pinion

A rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a pair of gears which convert rotational motion into linear motion. A circular gear called "the pinion" engages teeth on a linear "gear" bar called "the rack"; rotational motion applied to the pinion causes the rack to move, thereby...

 gear mechanism.

The first installation, X², was a prototype and cost Arrow Dynamics and Six Flags

Six Flags

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...

 itself a lot of money due to technical difficulties and design flaws. In 2002, the park sued Arrow Dynamics, which went into bankruptcy. Since then Arrow was bought out by S&S Power

S&S Power

S&S Worldwide is a company known for its pneumatically powered amusement rides and roller coaster designing.-History:S&S Worldwide was founded by Stan Checketts as S&S Sports, Inc. S&S Sports manufactures bungee jumping and trampoline equipment. S&S Sports was sold in 1996...

 and became the company's steel coaster division, S&S Arrow. In 2006, a second installation opened at Fuji-Q Highland

Fuji-Q Highland

Fuji-Q Highland is an amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan.The theme park is near the base of Mount Fuji. It has a number of roller coasters, as well as The Haunted Hospital, the world's second largest haunted attraction, and Thomas Land, a children's area with a Thomas the Tank Engine...

 in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 under the name Eejanaika

Eejanaika (roller coaster)

is a steel 4th Dimension roller coaster at Fuji-Q Highland in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. The ride is the world's second 4th Dimension coaster, the first being X at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, United States...

. A third installation was opened in 2011 at China Dinosaur Park.

Intamin AG

The Intamin AG

Intamin AG

Intamin Worldwide is a designing and manufacturing company in Wollerau, Switzerland. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The U.S. division of the company is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is headed by Sandor Kernacs. The Intamin brand name is an...

 ZacSpin was developed in response to the Arrow Dynamics 4th dimension roller coaster. Some of the main differences between the Intamin AG and Arrow Dynamics/S&S Power versions are the uncontrolled rotation of the seats, which produces a different ride each time, and single cars. Another notable difference is the absence of any lateral movements, causing some enthusiasts to not consider the rides 4th dimension roller coasters due to the fact that all movement is restricted to a 2 dimensional plane.

Kirnu

Kirnu

Kirnu is a steel roller coaster located at the Linnanmäki amusement park in Helsinki, Finland. Kirnu is Intamin's first ball coaster.-Layout:The ride starts as riders climb the curved lift hill and do a quick pre-drop and immediately do a sharp half loop and then go through another half loop and...

at Linnanmäki

Linnanmäki

Linnanmäki is an amusement park in Helsinki, Finland. It was opened on May 27, 1950 and is owned by non-profit Lasten Päivän Säätiö . Linnanmäki has 44 different rides of different sizes...

 in Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, opened for the 2007 season and was the first of its kind. Later that year Inferno opened at Terra Mitica

Terra Mítica

Terra Mítica is a theme park located in Benidorm, Spain. The park is divided into 5 themed zones: Egypt, Greece, Rome, Iberia, and the Islands . The park was opened in 2000.In 2004-2006 the park went through a bankruptcy process...

 in Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 with an identical compact layout. In 2009, Insane opened at Gröna Lund

Gröna Lund

Tivoli Gröna Lund or Grönan is an amusement park in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located on the seaward side of the Djurgården island and is relatively small compared to other amusement parks, mainly due to its central location, which limits expansion. Gröna Lund is a popular venue for concerts during...

 with a different track layout. In 2011, the first ZacSpin in the United States opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...

 as Green Lantern: First Flight

Green Lantern: First Flight (Six Flags Magic Mountain)

Green Lantern: First Flight is the second 4th Dimension steel roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia in California. The ride opened to the public on Friday, July 1, 2011, just in time for the 4th of July holiday weekend...

, and is themed to the DC Comics

DC Comics

DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

 superhero of the same name

Green Lantern

The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...

. It features the same layout as Insane.

Inversion ambiguity

There is considerable debate within the roller coaster community as to whether or not the spinning of these coasters qualifies as an inversion for the purpose of records. Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...

 gave Eejanaika

Eejanaika (roller coaster)

is a steel 4th Dimension roller coaster at Fuji-Q Highland in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. The ride is the world's second 4th Dimension coaster, the first being X at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, United States...

the record with 14 inversions. However, other more coaster-specific record bodies such as the Roller Coaster Database

Roller Coaster DataBase

The Roller Coaster DataBase is an extensive roller coaster and amusement park database. RCDB was started in 1996 by Duane Marden, who still operates the site...

 do not recognize this claim and instead count only track inversions, which gives the record of 10 to Colossus

Colossus (Thorpe Park)

Colossus is a roller coaster at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England, UK. It was built by Swiss manufacturers Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel as an adaptation of Monte Makaya in Brazil. Tussauds designer John Wardley adapted the project to include an extra two inversions as well as reducing its...

 and Tenth Ring Roller Coaster

Tenth Ring Roller Coaster

10 Inversion Roller Coaster is a steel roller coaster at Chime-Long Paradise amusement park in Guangzhou, Guangdong China. Completed in 2006, Tenth Ring is the second roller coaster in the world with 10 inversions, after Colossus in England's Thorpe Park ....

.

Installations

Name	Park	Opened	Manufacturer	Status	|	Image
X² Formerly X	Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...	2002 (X)	Arrow Dynamics Arrow Dynamics Arrow Dynamics was a roller coaster and amusement ride design company based in Clearfield, Utah, United States. In 2002, the company went bankrupt but was quickly bought by fellow amusement ride manufacturer S&S Power to form S&S Arrow. During its peak, Arrow Dynamics was responsible for some of...	Operating
Eejanaika Eejanaika (roller coaster) is a steel 4th Dimension roller coaster at Fuji-Q Highland in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. The ride is the world's second 4th Dimension coaster, the first being X at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, United States...	Fuji-Q Highland Fuji-Q Highland Fuji-Q Highland is an amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan.The theme park is near the base of Mount Fuji. It has a number of roller coasters, as well as The Haunted Hospital, the world's second largest haunted attraction, and Thomas Land, a children's area with a Thomas the Tank Engine...	2006	S&S Power S&S Power S&S Worldwide is a company known for its pneumatically powered amusement rides and roller coaster designing.-History:S&S Worldwide was founded by Stan Checketts as S&S Sports, Inc. S&S Sports manufactures bungee jumping and trampoline equipment. S&S Sports was sold in 1996...	Operating
Kirnu Kirnu Kirnu is a steel roller coaster located at the Linnanmäki amusement park in Helsinki, Finland. Kirnu is Intamin's first ball coaster.-Layout:The ride starts as riders climb the curved lift hill and do a quick pre-drop and immediately do a sharp half loop and then go through another half loop and...	Linnanmäki Linnanmäki Linnanmäki is an amusement park in Helsinki, Finland. It was opened on May 27, 1950 and is owned by non-profit Lasten Päivän Säätiö . Linnanmäki has 44 different rides of different sizes...	2007	Intamin AG Intamin AG Intamin Worldwide is a designing and manufacturing company in Wollerau, Switzerland. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The U.S. division of the company is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is headed by Sandor Kernacs. The Intamin brand name is an...	Operating
Inferno	Terra Mitica Terra Mítica Terra Mítica is a theme park located in Benidorm, Spain. The park is divided into 5 themed zones: Egypt, Greece, Rome, Iberia, and the Islands . The park was opened in 2000.In 2004-2006 the park went through a bankruptcy process...	2007	Intamin AG Intamin AG Intamin Worldwide is a designing and manufacturing company in Wollerau, Switzerland. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The U.S. division of the company is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is headed by Sandor Kernacs. The Intamin brand name is an...	Operating
Insane Insane (Gröna Lund) Insane is a roller coaster at Gröna Lund in Stockholm. Insane is an Intamin Zac-Spin roller coaster. It opened in 2009. The train cars contain 4 seats with 2 on each side. When navigating the course the trains are free to spin and flip. In 2011, a similar roller coaster, Green Lantern:First Flight,...	Gröna Lund Gröna Lund Tivoli Gröna Lund or Grönan is an amusement park in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located on the seaward side of the Djurgården island and is relatively small compared to other amusement parks, mainly due to its central location, which limits expansion. Gröna Lund is a popular venue for concerts during...	2009	Intamin AG Intamin AG Intamin Worldwide is a designing and manufacturing company in Wollerau, Switzerland. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The U.S. division of the company is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is headed by Sandor Kernacs. The Intamin brand name is an...	Operating
Green Lantern: First Flight Green Lantern: First Flight (Six Flags Magic Mountain) Green Lantern: First Flight is the second 4th Dimension steel roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia in California. The ride opened to the public on Friday, July 1, 2011, just in time for the 4th of July holiday weekend...	Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...	2011	Intamin AG Intamin AG Intamin Worldwide is a designing and manufacturing company in Wollerau, Switzerland. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The U.S. division of the company is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and is headed by Sandor Kernacs. The Intamin brand name is an...	Operating
Unknown	China Dinosaur Park	2011	S&S Power S&S Power S&S Worldwide is a company known for its pneumatically powered amusement rides and roller coaster designing.-History:S&S Worldwide was founded by Stan Checketts as S&S Sports, Inc. S&S Sports manufactures bungee jumping and trampoline equipment. S&S Sports was sold in 1996...	Under Construction

External links

• A list of 4th Dimension roller coasters at the Roller Coaster DataBase
  Roller Coaster DataBase
  The Roller Coaster DataBase is an extensive roller coaster and amusement park database. RCDB was started in 1996 by Duane Marden, who still operates the site...