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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?"
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
My 6yo daughter & I rode a Rollercoaster simulator at Putt-Putt, and it was pretty cool. Well, the first time they forgot to turn the interior screen on. Imagine riding a rollercoaster in near complete darkeness! It even freaked me out a bit, but she didn't have any problems accepting the free replacement ride :)
And it did have wind, courtesy of fans, although not as strong as on a real rollercoaster.
jred
I'm not a mechanic but I play one in my garage...
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?
They take pieces of vehicles that can was 200 or more pounds and move them about like it was a piece of paper.
Considering the moves that a robot could do as compared to a traditional coaster.. you would get more movement, faster with a robot than with a coaster.
Again, I'll know more about how it works and what it does when they come in for the demo next month.
Yes, that is very common form of motion sickness and affects me mildly. I can't go on simulator rides, but I have no problem with a real rollarcoster.
What is happening in this form of motion sickness is that your eyes are seeing one type of motion, and your ears are feeling another. The conflict between these two makes you sick. This is also a common reason people get sea sick. You feel the boat moving, but the sorroundings you see aren't moving (relative to you, anyway).
As far as this ride goes, if they were to put a movie in front of me and try to simulate a rollarcoaster, I would get sick. If they are just going to spin me around, then I may or may not get sick. It depends on how fast and furious the motion is.
Despite what the brochure says, the robot is not running on Windows. There is a real-time OS that runs the motion system. Windows is used only for the operator's user interface.
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
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?
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