[Philip Lelyveld comment; so this is a suitable PhD topic now?]
“Essentially, it’s a waterslide, but when you ride, you’re wearing virtual reality goggles which totally intensifies many elements of the experience,” Malcolm Burt, an academic at Australia’s Queensland University of Technology who is working with a German waterslide company to produce the concept, said in a press release. "Using research into VR immersion, and how to trick the brain into believing it is in danger, every twist, turn, and launch is magnified, and it definitely makes for more of an adrenaline kick."
Burt, a media producer who is currently conducting research on delivering the virtual reality theme park ride as part of his PhD, caught the attention of waterslide company Wiegand-Maelzer after the release of his documentary, titled "Signature Attraction," on why rollercoasters exist.
See the full story here: http://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/malcolm-burt-first-vr-waterslide