AMUSEMENT PARK ELEMENT TRACKING SYSTEM

A system comprising a ride seat disposed within an amusement park ride and having a support against which a rider can be restrained; a restraint associated with the ride seat and configured to restrain the rider within the ride seat, wherein the restraint comprises a first portion having a first connector, a second portion having a second connector, a first retro-reflective marker disposed on the first connector and a second retro-reflective marker disposed on the second connector, wherein the first connector and the second connector are configured to couple to one another to secure the restraint and thereby restrain the rider within the ride seat; and a tracking system configured to determine whether the restraint is secured based at least on identification and tracking of the first and second retro-reflective markers, wherein the tracking system comprises: an emitter configured to emit light toward the first and second retro-reflective markers; a detector configured to detect retro-reflected light from the first and second retro-reflective markers; and a controller coupled to the detector and configured to identify respective positions of the first and second retro-reflective markers based on detection of the retro-reflected light, wherein the controller is configured to determine a status of the restraint indicative of whether the first and second connectors are coupled based on relative positioning of the first and second retro-reflective markers, and wherein the controller is configured to adjust an operational parameter of the amusement park ride based on the status of the restraint.