Popular Motor-less Amusement Park from China

Motor-less amusement equipment, in simple terms, refers to amusement facilities that do not have any power devices such as electric, hydraulic or pneumatic, and are composed of functional components such as climbing, sliding, drilling, ladders, swings, and structures, fasteners and connecting parts.

Changsha Happy Double Family Park, Hunan Province, China

I think its advantages are mainly in the following three aspects:

1. The first is energy saving.

No power device is required, saving energy consumption. The power source of Motor-less amusement equipment is usually gravity, human weight, and manpower. For Motor-less facilities such as climbing nets, slides, and swings, the power source is usually driven by the personal energy of the participants or gravity.

2. The second is the difference between active and passive entertainment.

Whether it is a flying wheel or a carousel, people are passively placed in the equipment and have no right to choose how to move; while Motor-less facilities such as swings and slides have many ways to play. Children of different ages, moods, and time periods can create various ways to play, and there will be more interactions between people during the play process. Active and passive entertainment will lead to different frequencies of use. A Motor-less activity venue can be played every day, from morning to night; on the contrary, a large amusement park can be played several times a year, which should be considered a high frequency (of course, there are also factors such as large venues, small numbers, and difficulty in reaching). After all, extreme stimulation should not be frequent or part of daily life.

Haobaobao Parent-Child Park, Guigang City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China

3. Finally, it is plasticity.

Because there is no need for large equipment and power, Motor-less activity venues are highly plastic and can be easily combined with various venues, such as street corner green space, commercial plaza, country park, etc. In the national park of Hokkaido, Japan, a children’s activity venue with the concept of combining with nature is implanted. From the initial appearance of Motor-less activity equipment to the present, more than a century has passed. The reason why this concept has been enduring is that its form can be ever-changing, and various interesting activity equipment can be created according to different venues and diverse concepts. If it can also be implanted in mountains, rivers, and forests, children can play in a place closer to nature. These conditions are incomparable to playgrounds in completely artificial environments.

In addition, since Motor-less facilities do not have power devices, on the one hand, they do not have complex electronic components, have a low failure rate, and have higher safety performance; on the other hand, the procurement cost of the facilities and equipment is lower, the subsequent maintenance cost is low, and the service life is longer.
The above advantages are the reasons why Motor-less facilities have been thriving and becoming more and more popular.

Panshizhou Family Park, Pingjiang County, Yueyang City, Hunan Province, China

According to Wikipedia, in the 19th century, some psychologists on child development proposed that playgrounds could be used to help children develop qualities such as fairness and politeness that are needed in the process of growth. Then Germany began to build some playgrounds in schools. Until 1859, Manchester, England, established the first public, targeted playground in a park. Relevant professionals believe that an exciting, participatory, and challenging outdoor playground is extremely important in the growth of children, and some skills or social skills cultivated during this time can benefit them for life. For example, children can gain great confidence by mastering skills such as balance, climbing, and swinging; many activities are also beneficial to the healthy development of the body and brain, etc. Currently, countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark and Japan are world leaders in design innovation and facility quality in this field.

China’s amusement facilities industry has also undergone tremendous changes. More and more companies have entered the industry, and advanced production processes, design and development concepts, including industry safety standards, have been introduced one after another. Products have moved from quantity to quality, and have developed in the direction of diversification and differentiation. For our company, Motor-less facilities and parks are a good development direction.

In practice, we found that the more popular Motor-less facilities are often the deformation of classic facilities, such as slides, swings, climbing nets, etc. Climbing, jumping, falling quickly, and leaping are probably the most fun of the basic human body movements. Even large-scale amusement facilities are designed around these things. Therefore, even slides can be transformed into “toys” with various themes due to different venues. The form can be fully open, semi-enclosed, fully enclosed, etc. The materials are more adapted to local conditions, like terrazzo, stainless steel plates, rollers and so on. The purpose is to make these activities more interactive with people, and how to create themes that match their environment in different scenes.

The development of children’s activity facilities is the most troublesome thing for many designers in practice. Due to the defects of the product market, designers cannot imagine and realize it at will. However, the current situation in China is either to make cheap batches or to make imitations. Original industries have neither patent protection nor long-term interest guarantees. Even so, if there are brave people willing to invest in this professional field in the future, it is recommended to give full play to the plasticity of Motor-less facilities and design customized products for the site, rather than standardized finished products; it is recommended to design modular components, such as fasteners for climbing nets, high-quality outdoor antiseptic wood or full wood, and climbing net ropes of various specifications, functions, and colors. This can avoid the instability of the finished product market and fill the gap in the market.