There are lots of hands free devices out there, but I only know of the GoPro Hero 7 having the live streaming capability. There may be a way for older model GoPros to live stream, but they may require an additional app. I'm sure there are other brands that have this capability too like Garmin and Fly 360. This is a great feature, but you have to have WiFi access and use your phone as a personal hot spot. I am not sure how well the video and live streaming would be when you are on a roller coaster, but this is something I plan to experiment with in the future. I read somewhere that live streaming from your GoPro can take up about 2GB of data.
Anyway, think of the possibilities here? Now your family and friends can enjoy what you're doing together like facetime. Let's say for instance you are at the park with a child who is unable or doesn't want to ride, now they can enjoy the ride with you by seeing it live. I'm not exactly sure how the parks would feel if someone was live streaming their rides in case an emergency happened or if you caught someone with their cell phone out. Still it's an amazing idea just the same.
Finally, let me tell you a personal story about how I got into the enjoyment of roller coasters and filming them. I first went to Disney World with my family back in the summer of 1990 or 1991 and remember my dad buying my sister and I cameras to use while we were at the park. That was a great time spending with my dad and I remember riding everything with him, especially Space Mountain, which we rode like 5 times in a row one night. I remember being scared at first, but dad sat behind me and we had so much fun. Anyway, fast forward several years to 1997 when I was just about to start middle school. Dad and I went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, VA together and had a wonderful time. I always loved roller coasters, studied them, was fascinated by them, but was terrified of riding them because of heights. While at Busch Gardens, dad wasn't about to let my fear of heights ruin our day and I remember him saying vaguely something like screaming would make the ride more fun. The first ride we rode was an Arrow Dynamics classic the Loch Ness Monster. This coaster is the only one in the world that features an interlocking vertical loop that two trains pass through at the same time. It's like the scene from Top Gun when Maverick and Goose give the Mig pilot the bird. I was terrified of riding it, but after I rode it, I was instantly hooked! I had the same red camera that I used at Disney World many years ago and dad decided to take pictures while we were on the coaster. We got some decent shots and I think even got one of us going through the loop. Anyway, looking back I wished I had a GoPro to capture that event with my dad. He is not able to ride roller coasters with me anymore because they hurt his back, but I will always cherish that time with him. Because of my dad's love and fearless nature, he taught me to face my fear of coasters and said we were going to ride everything there, which we did. We rode the defunct Arrow Dynamics Drachenfire and the Arrow Dynamics suspend coaster Big Bad Wolf. I remember Drachenfire being a cool ride and jerked you around a lot, but Loch Ness was still my favorite until I rode Alpengiest later in the day. There it was..... the most beautiful coaster I'd ever seen with her light grayish green supports and white track towering over the Busch Garden's treeline. I was terrified of riding something so high and having the track above me. However after a 1-2hr wait, we finally rode it and it forever became my favorite roller coaster of all time!
Alpengiest is a B&M inverted coaster that was built in May 1997 and is still the tallest complete circuit inverted coaster at 195ft tall. It means Alpine Ghost in German and depicts a ski lift gone awry. I hope to revisit my favorite coaster again, but be able to live stream so my dad and I can ride it together again.
Back in the 90s, PBS NOVA had a documentary about roller coasters that I remember watching in the mall at an electronic store with my family. The series mostly featured Busch Gardens Tampa and Williamsburg. I was fascinated with the documentary and remember even seeing Drachenfire being built and how it was designed. Some other coasters inlcued Kumba, Loch Ness Monster, and Big Bad Wolf.
