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Robocoaster
AnswerIs42 writes "Got the announcement thru work email.. but a German company name Kuka has a very unique ride they are demonstrating. It has all the thrills, chills, loops, twists, puke factor of a rollercoaster.. but it only needs 11x12 meters of space! What they did is take a material handling robot (like you would find in any automotive plant) and put 2 seats on it. They also gave it a clever name: Robocoaster. I have a start of a review here, and will post more once I actually go and ride the sucker next month in Detroit. With everything it can do and more... it could start replacing rollercoasters.. perhaps?"
Get it on
You're riding in a
Robocoaster.
i think so.....
Consensus is good, but informed dictatorship is better
"11x12 metres of space"?
Is this ride only for 2D people. I'm gonna wait until they invent a 3D version.
-- MartinG To mail me: echo kewyjlcxyzvjfxbqwh | tr bcefhjklqvwxyz
They are building a 440 foot coaster at Cedar Point.
Here's some pictures
Maybe this will oneday replace the robotic bull at for wannabe cowboys, be be outside walmart for a 25 ride for your kid while you're shopping
Modular Redundancy--Because 4 out of 5 Nodes agree
... I know... Disney is evil.
But Downtown Disney (Orlando, FL) has a huge arcade with a RollerCoaster simulator in it that I rode.
It was lots of fun, especially since you got to build your own roller coaster and then ride it...
But it wasn't perfect to be sure. Real rollercoasters have wind and that is the one main thing that this was missing.
42 - So long and thanks for all the fish.
Seems the reduced size is a step in teh right direction...maybe they should alter another machine into a ride for better ``compression''.
Karma: Excellent (fuck, even in the future moderation doesn't work!)
Reminds me of the coaster simulator at DisneyQuest (Disney World). The simulator, of course, is really just a simulator -- there's no actual forward movement. Still, worth a look if you're ever down that way.
Roving Web-Teleoperated Robot
The point of a rollercoaster is to provide visual cues to pump the adrenalin - massively steep inclines to begin, followed by a rush as the coaster drops 100ft. The wind in the hair.
This looks more like a barf-o-ride. No sense of real vertigo.
G-forces? How could an automotive robot simulate the intense gravitational forces that are half the fun of rollercoasters? Especially in 11x12m of space?
"Ford," he said, "you're turning into a penguin. Stop it."
And how will you get the wind through your air? And the sensation of movement? Rollercoasters are more than just dropping and climbing and tilting. There's the speed, movement, angle, sluggish climbs, cabs of people behind you... that'll never be replaced.
Isn't part of the thrill the movement in relation to the ground?
It is for me at least.
When you think of a giant robot arm grabbing you and flinging you around...well, they might as well just have the robot connect straight to your butt with a special adapter.
I seriously doubt these types of rides will ever threaten an amusement park like Ceder Point.
If I had the choice between the Millenium Force and a psuedo-coaster, I'd take the real-deal any time!
"On a scale from 1 to 10, people are stupid"
This is no roller coaster. How do you simulate the a freefall of 150 ft in 3 seconds in a space that's only a dozen meters tall?
This could be the beginning of machines enslaving humans. Instead of killing us, they just grab us two at a time and shake us until we're really confused.
How is this any different from the "simulator" rides that already exist at theme parks and in Dave & Buster's locations? Basically, those just move you up and down, and tilt and shake you until you wish you had never gotten on the ride.
The problem I have with these sorts of rides is that they don't even come close to a roller coaster experience, for me. No wind (okay, they could solve that with clever ducted fans), but most importantly, no real G-forces. When you go down a steep hill, you feel lighter. When you go around a tight turn, you're glued to your seat. When you go upside down, you're glued to your seat.
Somehow, I suspect that if RoboCoaster turned the car upside down, you'd fall out. Unless they've created a gravity generator.
you can't simulate a huge drop. i doubt i would feel the same anticipation that builds up as you near the top of a coaster. i think these will catch on in malls and arcades but i dont think the rollercoaster industry has anything to worry about. i wish there was a huge centerfuge though, it would be fun to feel like an astronaut
'Mexican wave' does anyone have any idea what kind of movement this is? This thing is the evolution of the mechanical bull. YEEEEEHAW
Surrender YR pattent!
I hope they did more than simply attached two chairs to an automotive building robot.
the dangers are quite funny if you visualize them.
rivots, paint, welding, cutting
hahahaha what a fun ride.
because I have been enjoined by this Holy Office to abandon the false opinion which maintains that the Sun is the centre
Are people going to get sick on it like they do at theaters that have seats that move just a little to give the impression that you're moving with the movie? There are people that get sick in said theaters but not on coasters. Does anybody have any interesting info on the different types of motion sickness?
So...sit on the end of a robot arm while it shimmies like Shakira.
Sounds like these robots need something useful to do, like weld truck parts.
The kids will probably like it though. Hope the code is well-tested, so the arm doesn't do a maximum acceleration to -4.323 Z.
...
I am working at a machine automation company, and we work with similar robots. Now, it's time to convince the boss to let me 'borrow' some of these expensive pieces of machinery and 'play'. Knowing how easy (relatively) it is to program these robots I think I could have some fun quite easily.. hmmm.. hmmm..
The reason Santa is so jolly is that he knows where all the bad girls live.
Now all we need is some VR helmets, a couple of joysticks and this could be a kick ass arcade game :)
That and flight simulators that you see in anime could be a reality very shortly. Neat stuff.
-magister-
-magister-
I've tried alot of these sims out, granted not this one, and from my experience I can say that while alot of them are a great deal of fun, they pale in comparison to the real deal. There's something special about real roller coasters, a certain Je ne sais qua.. maybe it's just the fact that you know it's real, or maybe it's just being in the open air, which would explain why the the coasters where you hang instead of sit are the most popular. If they ever make a sim with the true experience of a rollercoaster, it would kick ass and I'd ride them all the time, but I just don't see that happening anyt ime soon.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It's just that yours is stupid.
...once I actually go and ride the sucker next month in Detroit.
I assume he's referring to this showing up at the North American International Auto Show, but I could be wrong. Anyone have more info (I checked the links) because I'd love to try this thing out.
daed si luap
This looks really interesting. It seems like their only method of tricking your mind into making you think you're moving quickly is by accelerating the arm, though. On many coasters, the wind in your face is just as important a factor as the acceleration forces, especially on long stretches and drops, although I suppose they could stick to really loopy and curvy tracks. Overall this is probably a very minor thing, but for these to have a chance to replace real coasters, they'd have to include many aspects of the environment, not just the person's movement through it.
Click on "specifications" and you'll see it's running windows. Kinda redefines "Blue Screen Of Death", huh?
I could definately see this showing up in malls in the US. I don't think it will replace roller coasters in amusement parks though.
FoundNews.com - get paid to blog.,
Compared to a gravity powered coaster: One thing about gravity, it never goes beserk (unless a big black hole is nearby.)
This thing looks like it can pound you on the ground head first the way that ET did to Will Smith in the first MIB movie.
You could make special helmets and booties and put kill switches in them.
When I saw the "Robocoaster" headline, I immediately thought of an AI controlled drink coaster on little wheels that would roll along the table and bring your drink to you.
I guess the "fake roller coaster" thing is kinda cool too though...
Build boards not bombs
....we simply strap people onto chained rocket and let it fly around in circles, loops, and sometimes ground.
So now I am waiting for a comment saying that we have slashdotted their server and crashed their coaster.
I'll invest when it it's a robot with two hands and can throttle a person. I'll send the first dozen to the RIAA, one special deliver to H. Rosen.
America : Japan
CRT : LCD
SUV : Compact hybrid
Rollercoaster: Robocoaster
It's all about lack of space, apparently. Although you would think that the Japanese would choose to invest in giant mecha to CRUSH THE GAIJIN COASTERS TO DUST!!!!
(Then again, that might not be polite.)
I have always wanted to be thrown around by a giant robotic arm, now I can! {Barf} Ok, can I get off now?
This is by far the dumbest amusement park ride idea I have ever seen, what a step backward. Maybe if they attached the robotic arm to a track so you could be flung about while riding a real roller coaster it would be cool.
This ride should be called "Caught by the Cave Troll" or something.
When you watch the videos - it just looks like the "riders" were picked up by some giant and get thrashed around.
Other problems:
- Microsoft Windows operating system
- Internet connectivity
all ms jokes aside, here is a machine that has the capability to bash you into the floor with impunity and its got two major security risks: being attached to the internet! and running MS OS.
I can just see it now BANG BANG BANG. bashing the riders into the floor.
It would feel a lot more safe if the thing was placed high enough that the arm would *not* be able to touch the floor ever no matter how it was manipulated.
I would like a few of these to see if you could make an actual robot with six of these as legs and arms.
Those things look really cool.
Yeah its all fun and games till some programing glitch pops up. Next thing you know your a Geo Metro.
We don't want no stinkin reduced sizes in America. Let the Europeans reduce their sizes, us Americans like our fun MAN SIZED!
...part of the experience is the heights, the scenery you fly by, and so on. I suppose the riders of this could wear VR helmets, but that would be kinda cheap in comparison. Like playing a motorcycle arcade game versus doing the real thing.
Slashdot's first reaction to VMware
I'll never trust it, it runs on ms windoze
(It's in the specs page)
Rollercoaster?
Besides flinging people around in the air, I just can't see the connection here. How would this ever replace a real coaster?
Think about it.
This thing is an arm with a central axis. To simulate forward motion it would have to do this in a circle. At speed it would feel like being in a centrifuge.
The videos show it whipping people in the air. It is neat, but it is not roller coaster like. At all.
-S
We Apprentice Developers and Designers
Part of the thrill of the real thing is knowing you're extremely high up. If it's just spinning and shaking you're after, get one of the roller-coaster roadies to beat you up instead.
Oh, and for the mod points: "In soviet Russia, they belong to all your base"
So they just need to add a smart wind system and some industrial strength fans!
All Your Memory Are Belong To Java
It doesn't say anything about a roller coaster ;)
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What do you do when the market for your industrial robots just isn't big enough?
You develop something new(or take the existing product and put a clock in it) that make use of your existing knowledge and products.
It should be good for those places with limited space.
my sig
Sorry I dont think you will finish the review anytime soon, seems like the site has been slashdotted
I get a database error message.
.ACMD setaloiv siht gnidaeR
Here's an interesting idea if the thing accepts outside commands..
You could develop and fine tune your ride from the coasters web site and show up at the actual ride, input your data and ride away. I imagine the device could be wired directly to the internet and you could logon when in line and pull your config or you could print out a barcode checksum at home of your creation and scan it just before getting on the ride. People could swap barcodes and try each others out and you could vote on a 10 best, it could integrated into Roller Coaster Tycoon or Sim coaster blah blah blah. Hurry, call the patent office...
Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
From the website:
"There are:
1 registered users
and 1045 guests online now."
One of the malls near me already has something like this. Two people get in and it surrounds you with coaster video then it rises up, spins, loops, etc. It is almost more fun to watch the thing run from the outside then the ride it.
Pocket PC Games
Take a look at the web site (Flash required). There are some cool videos.
Coaster sims have been around for years - they're in freaking shopping malls for crying out loud! I know /. geeks don't get out much, but come on...
Think outside the... Hey, where'd the friggin' box go?
It will probably never replace the huge rides in amusement parks, for the reason of economy of scale. Disney can put 100+ people on a ride every 5 minutes. It will have to build 50 these tiny Robocoasters to do the same. Cost of real estate, equipment, personnel, and maintenance will be prohibitively expensive.
Another factor is the camaraderie feeling that we are going through the pain together is lost in Robocoaster. All I can imagine is a sort of freak show where you are being thrown about like a piece of equipment while people in line watches in amusement.
The best part about simulated rides is that you're not constrained by the limitations of real-world materials -- or the laws of physics, for that matter -- insofar as the illusion they create. It really is a step beyond the real thing and not just a poor substitute.
There's more to it than just being tossed around. I don't think this type of this will ever replace rollercoasters. Although, for people who are scared of heights, but like the movement of a rollercoaster, this may be great for them.
To give you the visual aspect of the ride. What fun is it to get thrown all over the place unless it looks like you're high above the park and about to plummet to your doom? Seems like without this visual experience, it would just be nausea inducing.
With the proper VR setup, you could do lots more than just simulate a coaster. How about controlling a space ship, or flying on a magic carpet to fight against a dragon?
I don't see these things replacing coasters anytime soon.
WWJD? JWRTFA!
Danger Will Robinson! Danger!
I believe its the Luxor that has a roller coaster simulator. Like the robocoaster, you can go in any direction including up-side-down. Unlike the robocoaster, you are locked inside a little metal bubble with a screen in front of you that projects a cgi rollercoaster. It was pretty interesting, but what was missing was that sense of speed. It kinda felt like you were just being spun and twisted around.
:)
Oh, it did have wind tho, thanks to this plastic tube blowing in your face
This thing only has a maximum speed of 2m/s. (4.4 mph) Yes, it might shake you to death with acceleration. But I don't see how it can actually thrill you.
The National Air and Space Museum in DC has something similar, it's a flight simulator that basically consists of two seats and a flat-screen monitor inside a clamshell that can be rolled and pitched. In that case, the effect is greatly aided by the lack of visual cues other than those provided by the screen. The main problem is that they charge six bucks for three minutes on the thing.
2*3*3*3*3*11*251
The thing runs Windows and is internet capable !!!!
...
One BSOD and you are literally on a "death ride". Not to mention if somebody cracks it
Google's cache
Karma: Excellent (fuck, even in the future moderation doesn't work!)
I'm never riding it...:
Features:
Aluminum robot construction for low inertia
Maintenance free brushless AC drives
IP65 Rating
[OK So far...but then:]
Microsoft Windows operating system
Internet connectivity
Hmm...windows and on the net....just about the worst combination on earth methinks
OLIVER
Better VDF than VD...check it out: Data Access
At the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas (it's the huge black pyramid with that 20-kazillion candle-power light on top) they have a "virtual roller coaster" in the arcade. It looks like your typical enclosed VR ride, but it rotates on all 3 axes. I didn't think it was particularly revolutionary, just a fun ride. And it takes a much smaller space than 11x12 meters.
It was interesting, but while they do a nice job of a simulation, they can't get the g forces right for more than an instant. Without gravity generators (which most of use wearing our protective tinfoil hats know the gub'mint is keeping from us) this will never really replace a real 'coaster.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
I guess that testing this baby will be thrilling in more than one way, given that it [shrudder] runs on Windows. Let's hope they don't multitask too much!
Instead of a "40 foot" arm, build one with a VERY LARGE arm, with the same degrees-of-freedom (or more). I am thinking something like a 150-200 foot long arm (like a huge, multi-jointed, articulated crane arm).
Such a monster of a machine could be easily built with today's technology (look at coal strip mining machines, for example), would take up less space than a conventional coaster, but most important of all, it could easily simulate forward motion (especially if it was a hybrid cartesian/polar/revolute axis type arm, where the base could move laterally in two perpendicular directions, but the arm could still move in a polar or revolute fashion - anybody who works with robot arms knows what I mean here). The size of the machine would make the riders feel they were riding on a virtual track.
While what I was thinking would use way more space than this machine, it would be a great machine for a themepark...
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
Calling it a coaster is a bit much, as many, many posts here already indicate.
What they *should* have done is stuck a little fiberglass horsey to the end of the arm. Then when "Little Timmy" just won't quit whining at the Supermarket because he just *has* to ride the pretty little pony -- let him.
I bet he won't do *that* again.
KFG
For those of you looking for the real thing, check out Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. They have 15 roller coasters and 68 other rides. Cedar Point is home to the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, the Millenium Force (310ft/94m max height and 93MPH/150KPH max speed). They are open from mid-May through Labor Day (early September). It's a little expensive at $42 (+$8 for parking) though.
Slashdot's first reaction to VMware
Hi,
I've taken a ride on that thing during this years "Hannover Messe" which took place in April 2002.
So this isn't exactly new stuff. But it was a lot of fun. Yes, a real rollercoaster would blow much more wind into your face but in the end you concentrate on the movement the seat makes.
Oh, and the best thing is you can reprogram it to make a totally different ride.
I wouldn't trust that thing with my life... Its running Microsoft Windows for chrst sakes.
To make a rollercoaster simulator simulator all you need is an old washing machine. Jump into the drum and turn it on for the ride of your life.
American and British English are two unique langugues. That Union Jack/Stars&Stripes hybrid justs looks very stupid.
First and most frightening (and the obligatory SlashDot cheap shot) from the Features list:
Microsoft Windows Operating System
[Insert all 'crash' jokes here.]
The other main problem is people/hr on one of these things. The average coaster ride is probably in the 1 to 3 minute range. You have an additional probably 3 - 5 minutes to change the people in and out for the next run. The only way you can get a lot of people through is to have a lot of people on each run (especially since change-over time > run time).
Finally, (a few issues, nobody expected the spanish inquisition..) having an industrial robot here at work I can tell you that these things are massive, require really solid bolting/anchoring, and heavy duty power requirements. I imagine some travelling circus rides are the same, but this doesn't really strike me as a possible money maker.
--- I wish I could hear the soundtrack to my life. That way I'd know when to duck.
It is running on Microsoft. What the crap. That thing will crash and cause some people some major injury. Its waiting for a lawsuit. Watch some BSOD result in real deaths.
Its cool..but why in the world is it running Windows. Damn it use linux or something else...but no windows...help us all.
This ride can only hold two people, so it doesn't really save space. Trends in new rollercoasters are for more people on more cars, and fast turnover; one car loading while another is on the track. A line of people that is waiting for this ride will only be decreased by two per cycle, and the next people will have to wait for the riders to get off. You could, have a whole bunch of these lined up, but there goes your space savings.
Long live the Speaker Bracelet
Rolo D. Monkey
From their site: (features page)
- Microsoft Windows operating system
- Internet connectivity
- 8 in color VGA display
- Comprehensive diagnostics embedded
- Sound card and music output capability
- User selectable language
- Integrated system control sequencer
Yikes.
Not only does it have Windows, so it crashes in the middle of the ride (scary thought for them passengers), it also has internet connectivity.
I can just imagine this conversation:
"Hmm, hey whoa, d00d, look, this site I cracked into is a roller coaster simulator! Let's make the riders puke!"
--agenthh
Simulations like these lack some of the major elements that make coasters so fun. I'm a big enthusiast of coasters, and I've ridden a lot of the simulations. They don't compare, here's why generally.
a m/camera1.cfm that?
There's no wind in your hair, which detracts greatly from your sense of speed.
You know that you're in a simulation. One of the things that makes Millenium Force such an awesome ride is that it scares the shit out of you on the way up- you ARE 300 ft up. A lot of the suspense that goes with riding a ride is waiting in the line and getting strapped in. What's going to be more effective, walking into a room or strapping yourself into a metal behemoth like http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/inside_park/webc
Though simulators are good at playing games with your inner ear etc, the sensation of being upside-down or highly banked has never felt quite right to me- again, this probably has a lot to do with the fact that throughout the whole ride I know it's not really happening.
This thing works mostly off of visual cues. That's not going to make the "ride" a lot of fun, it's going to make many of it's passengers sick. Sure, coasters can do that too, but since what your eyes think is happening is more or less actually happening (I say that because good Coaster designers will mess with you a bit), I (personally) find getting sick generally happens much less compared to sims.
Finally, riding coasters is a bit of a psychological ordeal. You are conquering your fears/challenging yourself/trying to push yourself in some way. Sims don't really offer this aspect.
Worry not, roller coasters of the world- you are in no danger.
I think that says it all.
I think it was at a place called Gilley's... "The mechanical bull" or something like that.
Rollercoasters will no longer be a big deal once there's a handful virtual rollercoasters in every city.
The one thing that a virt rollercoaster can't sim, at least not for a while, is my brain telling me that I'm in a rollercoaster and not strapped to a bionic arm.
The thing that's missing from here is the "ROLLING" part of it. At least in star tours or body wars in epcot center (and any decent driving sim) there's actually rollers underneath so that you still feel as though your scraping along on a track / ground.
It'll also be missing the doppler effect on the people in front of you screaming
bah!
-- The truth is the only thing that nobody will believe.
This isn't your Grandad's 'virtual rollercoaster'. Firstly, it doesn't have any Computer Graphics - it's basically a huge robot arm with a couple of seats attatched. It looks like it could move you in any direction it felt like, and fast too. This isn't just a small movie screen on a motion base...
Now if they can pop these baby's into actual roller coaster cars, that would be something!
They'll never sell unit #1.
Why?
They want $1.5mil for one of these.
A ride that can do 24 riders per hour. In a typical situation that would work out to about 250 rides per day.
For $1.5 million.
For comparison, a Huss Top Spin (http://www.hussrides.com/52ClassicTopSpin.htm), which costs roughly the same, takes 40 passengers per ride, and also does flips and what not. Top Spins can, in ideal circumstances, push through upwards of 800 people per hour, withn a figure of 400-500 pph being much more realistic. That means for the same money, they can have a ride that will run through 250 people in 30 minutes, instead of 10 hours. If you were in the position of buying a ride, which would YOU buy with your money?
Let's look at it from the economic angle. Both simulators and Top Spins command an average per-ride of ~$5/passenger. This puts the Robocoaster at $120 per hour. The Top Spin at $2000-$4000. Still having trouble making up your mind?
Remember that rides need operators (Firgure 2 for the Robocoaster, 4 for the Top Spin). Figure employee costs of $10/hr per employee. The Robocoaster is down to $100/hr now. The Top Spin to $1960-$3960. Now figure insurance and power, and maintaince. Those would knock off another $40 or so from the Robocoaster, bringing it down to $50-$60/hour profit., and the Top Spin to roughly $1500-$3000.
Let's figure our hypotetical park is open 12 hours a day, 180 days a year.
That is to say, 2160 hours per year.
Robocoaster: $1.5million. $60/per hour.
Time to profit: 25,000 hours, or almost 12 years.
Top Spin: $2 million. $1500 per hour (We'll take the low end)
Time to profit: 111 days.
Made up your mind yet?
TODO: Something witty here...
those kooky germans.
At least my four-year old thinks so. Wonder if I should start charging admission?
I agree with most people that this can't compete with modern coasters. But this is certainly better than the simulators we have today and is a step in the right direction. Instead of just mounting two seats on this thing they should mount an entire simulator and give you the visuals. Even better leave it as just two seats but build it into a traditional roller coaster car.
A Hybrid of this Robocoaster and a Millenium Force type coastor would rock.
In the Twin Cities (MN), we have a ride that drops you straight down called the Power Tower (not that unique, actually).
How are you going to simulate that in a 11x12x? volume?
"Truth is not decided by majority vote" consensus gentium -- Norman Geisler
Positive Gs are easy utilizing centrifugal forces. Round and round to increase Gs, change the wrist angle of the robot arm to change the direction of the force relative to the person. Negative Gs are easy, just turn them 'head out'.
You won't get much in the way of sustained, reduced Gs, but you can short ones, 1 second, by flinging people downward with the arm.
They just need to make sure to put a vomit shield around the device to keep from flinging it into the spectators. I'll bet you could add an imax like projection sphere around it for a more integrated experience. Just make sure you can hose down the screens.
...with the pedestrian task of waving humans around at the end of its arm, it will simply extend the motion a little, and bash you repeatedly on the floor.
Most motion sickness is caused by a disagreement between visually presented cues and motion information from the inner ear. Real roller coasters have an agreement between what you see and what you feel. Situations where there is a disagreement (ie no visual cues that support feelings of motion) include reading in cars, trips in large boats at sea (the motion of the boat and your body cannot easily be discerned visually from the unmoving sky and horizon) and roller-coaster (or other) simulators which have a hard time conveying visually the motion presented mechanically. The same is true with those movies -- the seats move but this motion isn't aided by visual cues so the feeling of nausea and dizziness results.
The swedish magazine "Ny Teknik" (New Technology) had a small article about Robocoaster a couple of months ago. Here is a quick translation done by me:
Robot manufacturer aims for the amusement parks
The german robot manufacturer Kuka has had its system Robocoaster approved for human transportation, something which opens up a completely new market, namely the entertainment industry.
Kuka, which normally are welding robot experts, is now committed to a amusement park robot, which they hope will be sold to amusement parks all over the world, writes the danish paper Ingeniøren.
The robot system, called the Robocoaster, can lift 500 kilograms. It is part of an ride attraction where two people are buckled up in a seat and twirled upside down, back and forth in high speed. Robocoaster was presented for the first time at the Hannover trade fair this april, and according to Kuka's Martin Kuhnhen, the company has already sold the first system to an amusement park.
Søren Robert Lund at Tivoli in Copenhagen sees big opportunities with the new robot:
- The robot looks very exciting, he says to Ingeniøren. At Tivoli, we go for the attractions that are an experience for those who ride, but also for those who watch.
He also sees the possibilities with integrating the amusement robot in environments where the visitor for example can meet Harry Potter in a Quidditch game or fight with light sabres in Star Wars.
The Robocoaster is approved according to the security standard ISO 10218 and it has been applied in more than 35 000 industrial applications all around the world.
I'd trust the thing about as far as it could throw me
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
No wind. No view. No having you and 8 friends all riding at once. Regardless of risk, it would not seem as scary, just jaring.
Here, get in this box, and I will pick it up and shake it.
No sig.
Features: Microsoft Windows operating system
If that's not living on the edge, I don't know what is! Just imagine having to reboot while inverted!
"It's a very tangled subsystem." --Windows kernel guru
Amongst the features listed are "Microsoft Windows operating system" and "Internet connectivity". A giant industrial robot connected to two helpless humans running Windows connected to the 'net... this cannot be a good thing.
_sig_ is away
Hey I live in Detroit. Where is this going to be at?
just add goggles, joystick, and network a couple in a room, charge $5 bucks a minute, and MANY kinds of games could be written for this thing!!! Revolution in arcade revenues!!!!
Theme park!? hahahahaha, how shortsighted!!!
US$0.02++
*I* was the first on SlashDot (at the time of this posting) to christen it...
:-P
The PUKA!!
but most importantly, no real G-forces
Roller coasters have "G" forces only in one direction... down. Other forces felt on the ride, the ones that press you into your seat in loops and curves are centrifugal forces created by the curvature of the track... which is easily replicated by the motion of the robot swinging the seat in a circle. Variations on the angle of the chair will reproduce centrifugal force in any direction you want.
These forces are measured in "G's" relative to the gravity of the earth, but they are not gravitational forces.
-- If god wanted me to have a sig, he'd have given me a sense of humor.
All the excitement you could ever want. Guaranteed.
Aluminum robot construction for low inertia
Maintenance free brushless AC drives
IP65 Rating
Microsoft Windows operating system
Internet connectivity
8 in color VGA display
Comprehensive diagnostics embedded
Sound card and music output capability
User selectable language
Integrated system control sequencer
From their site, under specifications:
"Maximum speed up to 2 m/sec"
2 m/s convertes to 360 feet per minute, or roughply 4.1 MPH.
That is just plain slow when compared to a real coaster ( some capable of achieving 75+ mph I think ).
I would of thought it could at least spin you around in a circle faster than that. I do not see the thrill in this at all.
Would not a computer-controlled arm be able to spin you with a slight arc such that you could "fall" (i.e., accelerate at 9.8 m/s^2) any distance? The trick would be to counter the rotational Gs with air pads or something...
Imagine falling any distance... it would be booked by parachuting junkies. With the right VR headset and software, it could "look" like ramps and rails, and even give you the "visual clues" referred to previously.
----
wwjd? jwrtfm!
Real rollercoasters have wind and that is the one main thing that this was missing.
Real rollercoasters also have women which is what we all seem to be missing.
call me paranoid but this post coming so fast on the heels of the post about the terminator 3 trailer makes me nervous. cyberdyne/ skynet is already building it's army.
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
"Please unfasten your seatbelt. You have twenty seconds to comply."
"Help! The buckle is stuck! I don't want to ride this anymore!"
Looking at those 2fps videos (Videos in Flash? What's up with that?) I guess it could be pretty scary. Slamming you face down towards the floor, etc. And do you REALLY trust a robot for your life, that runs on Microsoft Windows? ;)
Have the 3 principles of robotics been imprinted in it's brain?
J.
The title says it all!
... about as risky as climbing the monkey bars on a play ground ...
... feel the rush!!!!
... bah!
... which do you prefer ... real sex or virtual sex?
How can you be a "risk taker" if there is no risk?
Oh, thats right, I might fall out of the metal box and fall 10 ft
Ohhhhh
Simulators
Also think of it this way
Just my $0.02
HallmarkOrnaments.Com
-Used industrial robot from ebay
-Robotic code from sourceforge
-Blonde bimbo carney operator
-Profit $$$
hey, on the manufacture's site, it says this thing runs on windows. what would happen if it BSODs in the middle of a ride?
You raise a really good question about the safety of this machine.
The difference between this and most rollercoasters is that the rollercoasters are designed to be mechanically safe - given completely functioning physical hardware no injury can happen to the riders. The worst that usually happens is occasionally a ride gets stuck upside-down for a couple of minutes and the fire department has to help get everyone down.
With the robocoaster there's absolutely no hardware safeguards, it being a fully articulated industrial robot arm.
(1) Hardware failure: What happens if the power goes out while it's swinging downwards (so it can't stop the movement and smashes the occupants into the floor?)
(2) Software failure: What happens if it's issued a perfectly valid software command to smash the occupants against the floor, or crush them against other parts of it's body?
Software failure is inevitable given enough use and unless the entire system is engineered to be completely redundant and fail-safe - somebody *will* eventually be injured or killed.
The systems controlling this robocoaster should have been engineered to the same safety-critical specs as those that control medical equipment or aircraft.
1 kilo = 2.2 lbs .625 miles
1 kilometer =
1 m/s = 3600 m/h = 3.6 kph = 2.25 mph
2m/s = 4.5 mph
Actually you were much closer than I expected. Props to you!!!!
Acceleration or deceleration does not depend on distance. At least directly.
0, a->Inf, you can create huge acceleration rates when you change the velocity of an object a little bit in a very short period of time.
If you want a proof, try pushing the brake pedal to the floor when going 5mph. This would create enough deceleration rate to hit your head to the steering wheel.
If you can create a machine (i.e Robocoaster), that can change speeds rapidly, you will get enough acceleration that make you think you are in a real rollercoaster.
And for those of you who are worried about the wind: Haven't you heard of fans? The thing that makes all the noise inside your computer?
"Back to the future" ride in Universal Studios, Orlando works with this priciple and it is very convincing.
It might not compede with real rollercoasters, but you are putting your life in hands of a machine that runs MS Windows!
:-) Sjaak
See the specs here.
CU
There's a similar contraption at various malls in (at least) Michigan; the Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor (and at least one other mall owned by Taubman) has something called the XScream Motion virtual roller coaster. Two riders, robotic arm, full 6-axis motion... but this is a closed cabin with projections screens where they show a virtual coaster track that you get to design! $5 a ride, and you can get a video of your ride from inside tha cabin for an additional $X.
I know they guys that make this thing have a web site (the URL is on their display at the mall), but Google was no help(!) in finding it.
Come to the University of Mars! Classes starting soon!
From a pure geek perspective, the Robocoaster is mesmerizing. Once I saw it (at IAAPA http://www.iaapa.org ) I just stood there and watched it for about 10 minutes with a huge grin on my face. The attraction is powerful - in multiple ways. Riders who opted for the highest setting would literally have their arms and legs flung about unless they held on tightly. While an avid coaster enthusiast, I have complete respect for this new type of attraction. The robocoaster is capable of generating 1.8Gs. I, of course, chose to ride it at the maximum setting. The ride was smooth, abrupt, unique and .. fun. While being flung from one position to the next, the speed was fast enough to occasionally blur my vision. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, and would ride multiple times.
This is merely one component that can be integrated with additional media, lighting, sound (themeing, etc). My company is working on a VR center that will feature a Robocoaster with custom themeing/programming, etc. It's not meant to replace a coaster - rather it's something new and unique that can be used as an 'attractor' in certain locations.
ps. Even without the themeing, the ride rocked. It'll make most simulators seem lame in comparison.
ps#2. Someone posted inacurate pricing. Per unit cost is approximately $300k
vlorre
They use a code -- ask for The PaintShaker!
They'll know what you want.
Keep your packets off my GNU/Girlfriend!
There was a project here in Argentina named Pampa 1 that looked like a funny red & yellow spaceship set on hydraulic pistons. The effect was really cool and there was a screen outside so you could see what it was like inside and want to get on it.
It's 5-6 years old by now, it was pretty well done and they were in front of many shopping malls.
My english is sow-sow. Sowhat?
No it can't. It can generate g's in different directions but how do you get that feeling of 300 or I guess soon to be 400 foot fall and the the weightlessness of "air time".
This will be more like a carnival ride whcih make more people sick than coasters.
11X12 meters? that's one big cup.
http://www.kuka.co.uk/NewFiles/pr_dd.html
According to this site.
1.5 million italian lira??? maybe
I use Windows but a roller coaster running
"Microsoft Windows operating system "
frightens me a bit....
Microsoft Windows operating system
well we know nobody from /. will be riding them if they see it.
they'll be too scared of a blue screen while upside down.
The joy of combining axial motion from the perspective of the subject(victim) is that gravity is replaced by inertia - as with standard loops and turns. Creative calculations for a machine capable of moving quickly would turn the subjective "down" into a radial path and counter for the lateral centrifugal force by angling the rider slightly. Combine this with minimal descending motion and you can create the effect of dropping several hundred feet when you only have a few hundred to work with. Put a screen in front of that (or better, around) and you've got an awesome virtual coaster designable on the fly.
Any spoon would be too big.
It was damn tough - it needed to have active feedback, those motors can't be moved by hand, and you need external sensors 'cause the feedback from the current in the motors would only notice if you smacked into metal. And, of course, the programming needed to be perfect. One guy said, "we don't want someone getting their arm broken because somebody forgot to convert to unsigned."
It can probably be made safe, but I'd never ride in one. My trained reflexes won't let me get near a robot without a deadman switch in my hand.
PHEM - party like it's 1997-2003!
Would you feel safe?
Listen! And understand! That Robocoaster is out there. It can't be bargained with! It can't be reasoned with! It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead!
What is to prevent this device from accidently using lethal force? I'm thinking G-forces, whiplash, drive headrest into floor, etc. My guess would be that the software it is running is what limits it to safe actions.
The specifications page says that it has "Class 4 safety circuitry (double circuits - cross monitored for fail safe operation)". But it also says that it says that one of the "features" is the "Microsoft Windows operating system"!
Sounds a little too risky for me!
So if I build a 50 foot half sphere and stick one of these monsters in the middle, add a light show somehow on the dome interior, with music.
All I need is to figure out how to get a 360 degree movie projector in the dome and I could completely blow someones mind.
Domes by Monolithic.
What a bad name! In spanish, Kuka (actually, spelled "cuca") is a vulgar way of referring to a woman's vagina!!! muahaha!!
Of particular note...
So... what happens when the controller BSODs?
I saw that also. I know I'll never ride it. I will neither my pocketbook nor my life in the hands of Micro$oft! ;-)
I went on something like this down in Orlando. Except you also got to design the rollercoaster before you got on. It was really cool.
If your not cheating your not trying. If your not trying your not winning and if your not winning why play?
Here's a video of the ride in action from this year's IAAPA convention in Orlando. Looks like a pretty sweet ride.
p a_ 2002/robo_coaster.mpg
http://www.ioacentral.com/pictures/features/iaa
A servo burns out? That machine will kill ya in a second. I work on those machine, it's not pretty.
You would have to be insane to ride on one. Just a belt has to break for it to go crazy. It's too dangerous. I'll take my chances on a real roller coaster ride thank you very much.
http://www.screamscape.com/html/legoland_parks.htm l
Legoland has already bought 10 of these things and they only cost $300,000. Huss should be paying someone else to lie for them, at least someone that isn't so easy to make look like he is a dumbass.
Quote: "The Robocoaster is an expandable platform capable of generating large-scale motions similar to a human arm, and is ideal for entertainment centers, amusement parks, educational institutions, and corporate events." Shake 'em Enron CEOs or what!?
I think it's geared to stop when enough change falls out of your pockets.
Isn't a robocoaster that little drink tray on wheels?
Howabout the cheap late-night TV movie where the arm remembers its humble beginnings as a Car Welder? Only Dumpy the robotic trash can knows the secret code to switch it back to "fun ride" mode!
Howabout we get two of these things in the same room and have'em wrassle!
Seriously, with a fan, some heat guns, a 270deg projector and a bunch of other tricks, this could be a neat ride.
Next Up: A computer that merely pumps sensory information into your head. Get your robo-jack installed today!
mug
Hey, that looks like fun, but let me know when the automotive robot builds a car around me, like in Minority Report. Now that was cool.
You would have to be insane to ride one of those.
If a servo burns out or a belt breaks that machine will kill you in a second. I work on those machines. I know I've seen it happen lots of times, it's not pretty. That breaks the rule NEVER GO NEAR THEM WHEN THERE RUNNING, EVER ! Motoman 101. Riding on one is just plain stupid. In a year somebody will be killed on one you watch. Even if it was running Linux I might add. People that think these stupid things up should take a look at what happens when something simple goes wrong with them. There extreamly powerfull and extreamly fast when they goof up. You would not have a chance.
According to this
I t costs 160,000UKP not $1.5M. Multiply your figures for the Robocoaster accordingly.a sh/eng lish/flexibilitaet.html
http://www.kuka.co.uk/NewFiles/pr_dd.html
According to this
http://www.kuka-roboter.de/robocoaster/nofl
they can accomidate 2000 rides per hour.
Of course then you're talking configurations of around 18 to 20 machines, I'd guess, so then you're talking closer to your $2M figure for the TopSpin.
Not ridiculing your opinions, just trying to correct a major error in your calculations.
put the what in the where?
I think this would be fun and could compare to a 100 ft drop. If you think about it, how much time would something be in the air "free fall" if being "tossed" up and then falling back down? I mean you could get allot of "hang time" on that ride from a "toss". You would have to go allot higher up to have the same amount of "hang time" if you only were dropped from the top like a regular roller coaster. I do share the same fear of the possibility to get hurt should the OS run as expected. Should probably put some kind of "roll bar" on the seats so if the worst should happen you wouldn't be the part making contact with anything else like the floor or the arm itself. Looks fun!
A friend will come and bail you out of jail, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "damn that was fun!"
What they did is take a material handling robot (like you would find in any automotive plant) and put 2 seats on it .... With everything it can do and more... it could start replacing rollercoasters.. perhaps?"
More like it will start replacing failed US auto companies.
The thing that brings me down the most about roller coasters is that you can see the track ahead of you. Instinctively, I brace myself against the upcoming turns/dips/whatever. There's nothing I can do about it, and I don't feel nearly as much of a rush because in my head I'm thinking "ok down real fast, and in two seconds I'm going to break right". Knowing what's going to happen kills the adrenaline for me.
However, I've seen the more recent rides (such as Disney's "Star Tours") that put you in a motion simulator. I like these much more because I have no idea where I'm going. Even if the story is hokey - it's far easier to ignore than knowing where I'm going. The only problem I've had with these is their lack of a range of motion - i.e. you can only go so far to the right, or so far down - basically shakes & bumps.
The Robocoaster fixes that because of it's essentially unlimited range of motion (since it can spin in circles - you could feel like you're dropping for a mile theoretically - just a bit of physics and some good programming). And put an LCD screen blocking your view and you can show whatever movie you want, be it rollercoaster or more like Universal Studio's "Back to the Future" ride.
The only thing is they need to make it sit more people. I don't think I've even seen a ride that can only sit two people - sharing the experience with your friends is most of the fun - so you can chide them later about the face they made off the big drop, or in the loop, or whatever. And hey, with that small of a footprint, they could put that in the middle of a mall - talk about massive foot traffic.
Sign me up!
Kurdt
I'm not anti-social. Just pro-technology.
How the fuck is that a "troll"? "redundant" maybe.
This reminds me of a guy I saw at a street fair is some town with a 'Virtual Reality' Wheelchar. He put a VR helmet on your head and covered it with a black sack, cranked up the soundtrack so the entire street could hear it, and using the handles of the wheel chair, simulated the motion you would be experiencing during the movie - ala Star Tours.
Very clever of him, but I wasn't about to spend $10 and let this guy put a sack over my head.
The RoboCoaster was shown at the IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) convention a few weeks ago. Anyone could ride, and experience one of three levels of intensity. It was quite a polished looking bit of metal and motors, but the actual experience consisted of being flailed around like a rag doll. Fun, eh? This year they could actually put people in the thing - last year all they could show off were mannequins riding due to legal reasons. Video can be found here
I too wondered whether the thing has enough ride capacity and draw to make economic sense, but apparently they signed deals for like 10 of the things on the show floor.
Another booth not far away had a model for a giant flower / alien looking ride, about four stories tall, with maybe a dozen of these robocoasters as the "flowers". Guests would board and the entire thing would come alive and thrash them back and forth. I think I'll stick to the traditional roller coasters, thanks.
"Microsoft Windows Operating System"
I'm not sure I want to ride a Windows rollercoaster.
http://drteknikal.blogspot.com/
Oooh, and for a bit extra you can even connect the Windows-based controller to the Internet. Puts a whole new "spin" on hacking, doesn't it?
"Umm, folks, sorry about this - Bob is re-installing Windows now, and we should have you back down in about 30 minutes..."
Jan
Just think of all the parks you could open with Auto companies downsizing and closing plants... just take all the robots and BAM! You have "Autoworld"!
No, to me it sounds like you'd have Futureworld
Ralf
The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.
-Bertrand Russel
Read the specs, under operating system it says Microsoft windows.. can you imagine having a blue screen while you're on that ride and having it slam you down into the earth... now thats waht I call a ride!
This could give a whole new meaning to
"Blue Screen of Death"
Would *you* trust windows not to twist you on your head and bash your brains out repeatedly? Talk about blue screen of DEATH.
combine the robocoaster with VR gogles and a flightsim/1st person shooter game.
some of the stunts you could pull might hurt just a little..
seems like kuka doesnt get enough from the car manufacturers (volkswagen) anymore. i believe, that it is _very_ dangerous having seats (with people) an such a thing.
till 2001 (when i quitted this job) these things were operated by a win95-box with some realtime-hacks in there. just wait until it smashs the next passengers into the ground.
just check this: features: microsoft windows operating system
I saw something like this back in 1998 or 1999 at Union Station in St. Louis. It was on the second floor by the rest of the arcade games. It had a fully enclosed cockpit that had a screen in it. The cockpit spun 360d on the arm it was mounted to which could also sping 360d with no chance of ever hitting the ground. Two people could ride it, it had a 500lb occupancy limit. While it was going, people could watch a monitor on the outside near the ride that showed what the people on the ride were seeing. It had a nice soundtrack that would play in the background along with all the normal rollercoaster sounds and as it went through the ride you'd hear the occupants screaming and change falling out of their pockets just like on a regular coaster. Unfortunately I never saw who the manufacturer was but maybe someone else on here from St. Louis may have also seen it before?
penises
I think you might just work NEAR them, you uneducated, floor-mopping, SOB.
Once you start messing with the physics like the lenght of the arm, you'll get into trouble.
Imagine the physical aspects of the arm itself when it has to extend that far out, and really swing a load around. Don't forget that the huge construction cranes you're thinking of only heft objects up and down very slowly (sideways, verrry slowly.)
If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
The last thing I need is to strap myself into the toolspace of some industrial robot. Last time I checked, carneys can't do inverse kinematics.
One future, two choices. Oppose them or let them destroy us.
From their website: Max double passenger distributed weight 200 kg
For you gravitationally- and metrically-challenged... This translates into a limit of two 222 lb passengers. I can hear the German designers... "Haha, Klaus, zis is vunderbar! All zose fat Americuhns vill have to lose veight before riding our robot! Now touch my monkey, Klaus. Touch him! Love him!"
When I was in high school, some friends and I were involved in a skateboard park construction project. We had a large ditch digger on site to dig trenches for cement footings. On weekends we'd go to the site at night and hang out and drink beer. On one particularly beerful night, someone got the bright idea to check the ditch digger for keys.. and they were there. It wasn't long before we were taking turns swooping around in circles on the business end of the machine, screaming "Fantasialand, Fantasialand!" until the operator rapidly switched directions or caused the arm to shudder violently and the rider was ejected into the night. Not as safe as this robocoaster thing, but definetely more fun.
Gives a whole new meaning to the song.
"Here are some specs about the system:
* 6 axes..."
Doesn't sound too safe to me. I'll stick with normal roller-coasters.
--I hate big sigs.
Whatever.
...I think roller coaster manufacturers are safe.
Until it can reliably simulate the feeling of being shot 110+ miles per hour up and over an insane 400+ foot hill like the new ride at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio...
Well you be wrong worm. I install, program and maintain them. I also teach people how to use them. I teach people how dangerous they are. I've seen them go threw 1/4 inch steel plate in a second when a servo burns out. The machine thinks it dead stopped so it increases the power more and more but the machine is not stopped only the position feedback loop has lost the signal.
Everyone that I work with maintaining them would say the same exact thing. You're crazy to trust them, there stupid machines and they break. If you happen to be near then you're robo kill...... Would you like fries with that?
Disney has had this for years at their Disney Quest arcade. 6 floors of electronics games etc....one of them is the virtual rollercoaster. Build your own, or ride a pre-built one.
I rode this at least 4 years ago.
DFalcon
We could try doing artificial gravity with diamagnetism if the Levitating frog experiment can be scaled up to work for Humans.
This same mechanism could also do star-trek style inertial damping...
A little retrospection shows that although many fine, useful software systems
have been designed by committees and built as part of multipart projects,
those software systems that have excited passionate fans are those that are
the products of one or a few designing minds, great designers. Consider Unix,
APL, Pascal, Modula, the Smalltalk interface, even Fortran; and contrast them
with Cobol, PL/I, Algol, MVS/370, and MS-DOS.
-- Fred Brooks
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