( CNN ) -- Any kid can dream up a roller coaster . But those who visit a new exhibit at Walt Disney World 's Epcot theme park can actually take a ride on their fantasy creations . An artist 's rendering of the `` Sum of All Thrills '' interactive ride , opening Wednesday at Disney World . Epcot on Wednesday opened a new attraction called `` Sum of All Thrills , '' which lets kids use computer tablets to design a virtual roller coaster , bobsled track or plane ride . After inputting their designs , kids climb into a robotic carriage that uses virtual-reality technology to help them experience the ride they 've created . `` This is really the next generation -- where there 's a lot more personalization involved '' in the amusement-park experience , said Eric Goodman , Disney 's lead project manager on the ride . This make-your-own-ride approach appears to be a growing trend in the world of amusement parks and museums . Taking cues from the video game industry , park and ride designers have realized that people -- especially young ones -- want to interact with and even design their own thrill rides . In addition to the new Epcot ride in Orlando , Florida , two Disney theme parks feature a ride called `` Toy Story Mania , '' which lets riders shoot at targets as they roll down the track and , in doing so , shape their own ride experience . Another Disney attraction , CyberSpace Mountain , caters to adults and kids by letting them customize their own virtual ride from a menu of drops , loops and other features . Universal Studios in Florida opened a roller coaster in August called the `` Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit , '' which lets people create their own personal musical soundtrack for their ride . Interactive rides are in the `` baby stages '' so far , since roller coasters and theme-park attractions are so expensive to build , but interaction and personalization promise to be running themes in the industry , said Bob McTyre , president of Apogee Attractions , which has has helped design rides for Disney , Universal Studios and others . McTyre was not involved in the new ride at Epcot . He said theme park designers frequently bring up ideas such as roller coasters with three possible endings , allowing riders to choose which path to take . But those big ideas quickly hit a roadblock : the high costs of implementing such a project , he said . Shawn McCoy , vice-president of marketing and business development at Jack Rouse Associates , another amusement-park design firm , said this desire for interactivity in amusement parks takes its cues from video games . `` There 's also a definite need to compete with video games or the gaming industry -- where [ players ] have control over all of the elements , from the environment to the players ' movement , '' he said , noting that museums and zoos also are taking notice of the trend . The `` Sum of All Thrills '' ride at Epcot employs a robotic arm -- more commonly seen assembling cars at an auto plant -- to let kids experience their roller coaster creations . Sitting in a carriage with their legs and arms outside the ride , kids watch a video version of their ride while the arm moves them from side to side and up and down to simulate the feeling of a real roller coaster . Fans blow air at the riders at various speeds to give people the sensation that they 're moving forward . Goodman , the Disney designer , said the robotic arm and carriage come `` pretty darn close '' to replicating the real roller coaster experience . Kids design their experience on touch-screen computers , using a digital ruler and pre-selected track options to construct their rides . If a person tries to build something physically impossible -- a hill that 's too steep for the cars to climb , for example -- then they 're asked to retool their ideas . Disney hopes the interactive nature of the Epcot ride also helps kids learn that math and science can be fun . `` I think it 's really empowering for the kids to realize that the math does n't control them . They get to control the math , '' Goodman said . The Raytheon Company , a maker of weapons and defense systems , said it sponsored the exhibit as a way to get middle-school aged kids more interested in careers in math and engineering .
Disney opens an exhibit where kids create roller coasters -- and ride them . Theme parks are trying to make their rides more interactive , taking cues from gaming . Comment: Kids design their rides on computers , ride them in a stationary robotic carriage .