Some things will always remain the same. The time has already come upon us to laugh at predictions made five or ten years ago that virtual 3-D experiences would one day replace our current thrillrides. When it comes to deciding between a simulated ride and the genuine, unconstrained ride experience, the choice is about as obvious as it gets. Virtual attractions will always have their place as a form of cinematic experience, but you can face the fact that you're never going to see parks ripping down their giga-coasters to slap in miniature theaters with bouncing seats and 3-D goggles.

Along with constantly creating new types of thrill elements and concepts, designers over the past decade have focused more than ever on doing away with rough tracks, jerky turns, and bulky restraints with new technologies to give us the most enjoyable rides possible. That is destined to continue, and who knows what other improvements we might see in the future in that area along with new design innovations. Will back-massaging seats and onboard music become standard at most parks?

One current technology that is bound to cross paths with the world of coasters sooner or later is known as magnetic levitation or maglev, a system proven successful on transit lines most notably in Asia and Europe. This technology uses a magnetic field to levitate a train and move it swiftly over the track, providing a smooth and efficient ride. With some modifications, this could certainly be adapted for use on an ultra-fast coaster track, but at the loss of the traditional sensation of wheels speeding along below the car.

And what about the idea of a rollercoaster itself being used for transportation purposes? One of the most flexible and safest forms of travel, a coaster track could easily be erected and woven through any urban area with curves and changes in altitude possible like no other transit. Building in the way, no problem! Throw in 150-200 MPH launches, several stations, padded luggage areas onboard the train, and you could have one heck of a ride between two major cities. How would you like to ride the coaster in to work every morning? Even just at a theme park, a coaster traveling around the park with several spaced-out stations could prove almost as useful as thrilling.

Fresh breakthroughs currently seen on some of today's rides include Arrow Dynamics' 4th Dimension concept which uses seating on the exterior of the track with the ability to flip vertically, and Vekoma's Terror Tilt coaster using a section of track which tilts forwards ninety degrees. Those ideas still may have a long road ahead of them, and other unique concepts are currently in the planning stages by other companies.

Wooden coasters, which have seen next to no design change in the past half-century in great contrast to their steel counterparts, could certainly be revitalized with some new concepts brought out. After all, we have yet to see a launched or shuttle wooden coaster, or any woodie in the world with any type of seating than the traditional, for that matter. Who could pass up a ride on a floorless wooden twister with track roaring along right beneath your feet?

At any rate, the future of rollercoasters is destined to be a bright one. Every year, we consistantly see dozens of new coasters debut, and beyond that dozens of non-coaster rides, with new ideas and breakthroughs being brought into the theme park industry each year.