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Monster Garage's Robotic R/C Car Challenge

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the racing-from-the-sidelines dept.

KMan writes "According to Roboteq Discover Channel's Monster Garage will be airing an epsisode where the challenge will be to build an R/C controlled car (full sized/real deal). 'Details' on how to build your own R/C car can be found at Roboteq along with airing time info for the Monster Garage episode."

23 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. So I don't need to buy cars from... by seems+so+green · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... all the amazing rc car deals I keep getting in my email?!?

  2. It's been done before by Phosphor3k · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://slashdot.org/articles/03/03/30/0510225.shtm l?tid=133&tid=159

    Though the linked video file is no longer there.

    1. Re:It's been done before by Aneurysm · · Score: 3, Informative

      It was one of the challenges on Scrapheap Challenge (Junkyard Wars) last year. Very cool, and they worked pretty well. Wonder how responsive they are to control?

    2. Re:It's been done before by alanw · · Score: 3, Informative

      In the final of Scrapheap Challenge series 6 - "Cat-alysts" vs. "Megalomaniacs" http://jyw.tacorp.net/specials/jousting/joust.html
      http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/junkyard/episode /season_07_07.html
      http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/S/scrap heap2001/text/12/

  3. It's been done before! by WavyGravy-R5 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Some guys have done it before with a camry and video taped the entire deal. You can get it off of my site at http://mrgravy.com/uploads/remote_camry.wmv (download it if it doesn't stream fast enough). I originally got it from StileProject (don't ever go there kids), and who know's where it came from before then. Defintely worth a watch.

  4. so whats robotic ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful


    is there anything robotic about a RC car/Boat/plane ?

    its like those TV shows battlebots/robotwars that are simply glorified radio control cars, can a radio controlled device really be called a robot ? or is it just another way to make RC seem "cool" if you add the word "robot"

    1. Re:so whats robotic ? by sjames · · Score: 2, Insightful

      its like those TV shows battlebots/robotwars that are simply glorified radio control cars, can a radio controlled device really be called a robot ?

      I've always thought they could improve that show by including both unlimited and autonomous divisions. Admittedly, a well armed autonomous robot is dangerous, but surely there's some way to manage it with a combination of kiss switches and willingness to let it go until it runs out of whatever powers it if necessary.

    2. Re:so whats robotic ? by Beardydog · · Score: 5, Funny

      a combination of kiss switches

      If there's anything more dangerous than a well armed, autonomous robot, it's a well armed, autonomous robot that can only be deactivated with a kiss.

      Be prepared to duck and weave...

  5. Jessie's involvement in the show by Fubar411 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is it just me, or is Jessie just not into doing Monster Garage anymore? He barely shows up during the build. He only seems interested in trying out the monster the day of, and seems highly critical. Even the handing out of the tools at the end is very half-hearted. I'd be surprised if he signed up for another season.

    1. Re:Jessie's involvement in the show by UberOogie · · Score: 3, Interesting
      I used to really like this show, but not only does Jessie seem less and less interested, he's become more and more of an ass.

      I understand that it is part of his whole "bad boy" persona, but he's just been a complete dick lately. Whenever anyone stands up to him, I find myself rooting for them, even though they get labelled the "bad" guy.

      My Monday night viewing is narrowing down to Monster House and American Chopper.

      --
      "Enough of this wretched, whining monkey life." -- Marcus Aurelius, _Meditations_, Book 9, 37
    2. Re:Jessie's involvement in the show by e40 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      My $0.02:

      1. He was always an ass, but you just liked it before.

      2. The producers are running out of ideas, and it's getting to Jessie. During the PT Crusier show he kept harping of the fact that the idea (from the producers) sucked.

      3. They're starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel for show talent. On shows where there is good talent with good personalities, Jessie isn't an ass.

      All of these make Jessie more of an ass.

    3. Re:Jessie's involvement in the show by ldspartan · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I agree with a lot of the other posters in this thread. I think the producers of the show have a great, yet horribly executed concept. Jesse James? Building random shit? Sounds good.

      Stupid announcer voices, graphical effects, and corporate sponsorship? Terrible.

      Its amazing that Discovery got it so right with American Chopper, and so so wrong with Monster Garage. The ingredients are the same, there's just a distinct lack of trumped-up bullshit in American Chopper.

      It seems like every third episode of Monster Garage Jesse is saying something that translates to "The Producers of this show are morons," and I think he's right. Remember the skate-board-ramp-RV episode? The producer gets into a whining match with one of the skater/builders that pretty clearly illustrates what a waste the producer is. And remember, he has artistic control... if he left that in, imagine what he's edited out. The crew from the two hearse shows (a dysfunctional group of people if I ever saw one) said similiar things about the producers, and most of them were hollywood types that should be used to that kind of nonsense.

      Monster Garage has a lot of great aspects to it, but the "artistic input" of the producer and who ever else has their hands in the pie sure destroys it.

      --
      lds

  6. Been done by Smidge204 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This has been done on both MythBusters and Junkyard Wars. Nothing new.

    At least in the Junkyard version, the two teams fought the RC cars Battlebots style, and Mythbusters strapped a set of rocket engines to it!

    Don't get me wrong, Monster Garage is a good show, but sometimes it's a little overhyped.
    =Smidge=

  7. "KITT, buddy - I need you!" by Chalybeous · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hmm. Am I the only one who thinks this might be a backdoor pilot for a Knight Rider revival?

    "There's nothing worse than a smartass automobile." - KITT, Knight Rider 2000
    --

    "It is dark. You are likely to be eaten by a grue." -- Zork

  8. Video clip by Danta · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A videoclip of a R/C'ed real car. WARNING! Sexually explicit banner ads.

  9. ...that becomes... by __aaitqo8496 · · Score: 2, Funny

    An R/C car that becomes a streetsweeper that becomes a lawnmower that becomes a hot air balloon that becomes a figure-8 car.

  10. Monster Garage - More Info by pipingguy · · Score: 3, Informative


    Shark-jumping

    How 'Monster Garage' Works

    Twisted metal mind

    Almost-related ramblings of a software developer

  11. Doc Brown by BitwizeGHC · · Score: 2, Informative

    Reminds me of when Doc Brown put Einstein into the front seat of the DeLorean and drove it around with a radio controller.

    --
    N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
  12. HowTo convert RC Car to a Robot by Cryofan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I would say that RC cars are indeed a type of robot. In fact, MIT has a webpage on how to convert RC Cars to a robot. See:
    http://web.mit.edu/tas/www/traxx/rt_main.htm

    --
    eat shiat and bark at the moon
  13. Monster Garage is a Joke by SloWave · · Score: 3, Insightful


    Lost interest in that worthless show when then converted a Mustang into a lawnmower. Hanging chrome plated non-functional mower blades from the car doors is suppose to be cool? Caught one of the later shows where they tried to drive a couple backhoe blades off a pair of hydraulic pumps using a little tiny fan belt coupled to a car motor. Seems they could figure out why the fan belt kept braking. Jesse was there the whole time and didn't catch on. Makes me wonder how real his bikes are. Don't count on Monster Garage for any useful inspiration.

  14. Talk about dangerous ... by dougmc · · Score: 3, Insightful
    The RobeteQ site starts out with a big warning --
    Important Warning and Disclaimer Remote controlling or operating semi/fully autonomous full-size gasoline powered automotive vehicle is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. Such a vehicle should only be operated on a secure test track and never be used to carry passengers.
    And yes, it's in bold type and all, but it's not nearly strong enough.

    R/C equipment fails. Even in a standard sized R/C car or plane, things can and do go wrong. Planes can fly miles away before they run out of gas, and cars can end up doing doughnuts at full speed until they hit something or flip over.

    With a full sized car, the consequences of a failure will be much worse. Imagine losing control of your car and having it go to full speed, straight ahead -- merely being on a test track won't be enough, as the car could easily plow through fences, barriers and even buildings. And you'd have no way to stop it.

    I'd strongly suggest that nobody attempt this without extensive experience with both R/C stuff and with modifying full sized cars. And I'd also suggest installing a kill switch of some sort that will immediately kill the engine, and have this switch controlled by a different R/C transmitter on a different channel entirely, with a different battery -- just in case.

    Also, the picture shows a Futaba 6X transmitter -- be aware that by default transmitters like this are on the 72 mhz frequency band (in the US), and that the use of the 72 mhz band for controlling ground vehicles is *illegal*. Instead, you're supposed to use the 75 mhz band. Most R/C car transmitters have at most three channels, so people building this sort of thing will be looking at airplane equipment for the extra channels, but you need to be aware that you can't just use any old equipment you find -- you'll need to special order 75 mhz equipment from the manufacturers to be legal (yes, it is available and it doesn't even cost much more. But it is rare, and it's unlikely you'll find it in somebody's attic unless they're into large R/C cars or robots.)

  15. There is a TV series about this! by loic_2003 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    it's called combat cars and is on bravo in the UK. People fix up bangers (old cars) to be radio controlled and they go through some challenges and then trash each other's cars. It's just like robot wars etc. but with real cars. Certainly not news, this.
    Can't find much info about it, but it's mentioned here!

    Great fun to watch when someone's put in a fair amount of effort...

    --
    http://www.frenchgeek.com/
  16. Balloon Chase Vehicle by n6mod · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I often thought about doing this to the small (van-chassis) RV we used for a hot-air balloon chase vehicle. From the balloon, you can always see which backroad goes to the field you're aiming for...and those in the basket are always cursing the idiots on the ground who are going down what is obviously (from 500') a dead end.

    Existing vehicle systems are pretty well set up for this in the modern American land-yacht. All that effort to isolate you from actual vehicle dynamics mean that they've presented you with controls that are pretty much just servo inputs. (Yes, there is a mechanical link in most cases, but they're servo-assisted)

    Steering and brake are both heavily boosted, and throttle doesn't require much force.

    We were talking about this fifteen years ago...doesn't seem like much of a challenge now. ;)

    -Z

    --
    You have violated Robot's Rules of Order and will be asked to leave the future immediately.