Bungee jumping became increasingly popular in the past decade, as "extreme sports" captured the public's attention. An offshoot of this phenomenon is the bungee trampoline. Parents will be comforted to know that, especially under the supervision of a camp counselor or a professional recreation center, bungee trampolines are often quite safe. Indeed, the fact that a trampoline is below the participant ensures far greater safety than traditional bungee jumping. A bungee trampoline allows you to jump over ten meters into the air, so you can literally have a bird's-eye view of the world. It consists of a support structure with elevated steel arms. The rider is strapped into a harness, which is suspended between two of the arms by bungee cords that catapult the rider into the air. There can be more than one trampoline in a jumping station, allowing four to six riders to jump simultaneously. The contraption needs a 110/230 volts/10 amperes electrical outlet to run. When the rider is shot into air, the unique purpose-built elastics come into play, taking the kinetic energy in the downward jump and converting it into an upwardly propelling force both increasing the jumper's power and stabilizing the jump, giving more height and airtime to perform backward and forward flips. This was previously impossible without years of training on a regular trampoline. Bungee trampoline rides have gained tremendous popularity the world over, particularly in amusement parks and malls. |
