High Tech Ride Cars

[drcorey]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... &plindex=2

Does anyone know the name of the new high tech free moving ride cars?
I heard they don't need a track and are told where to go and how to move
by a computer system. like in this tokyo clip of Pooh's Honey Hunt, they can get real close to a scene, and follow the ride story with perfect timing.
on this ride they can even bounce along with tigger in his scene if they are programmed to do it.

[CMGUY89]

These vehicles don't necessarily have a name, and aren't necessarily new, but they work on guidewire or puck technology. Examples of these vehicles are Universe of Energy, Great Movie Ride, and Tower of Terror. The guidewire/pucks receives and transmits data between the ride vehicle and the ride system. This allows the computer to tell the vehicle to stop, slow down, reverse, etc. and provides information on the vehicles location to the central computer. Unfortunately, sometimes vehicles get "lost" and lose the signal (often due to obstructions, like a park map or ticket). This causes the the computer, which has no idea where the vehicle is, to shut the ride down. This has been a problem for Tower of Terror as a lot of guest belongings end up in the ride path.
So contrary to popular belief those three attractions do not have a track.

[hobie16]

Remember when cars started getting voice announcement gear? I got one. It would do things like, "Ding! Your door is open." "Ding! You're getting low on gas."

One morning I got in the car and heard, "Ding! Your neighbor down the street stole your battery. I say we go get the SOB!"

[PapaMouse]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the guidewire or puck technology is also how the floats for the parades work too.

[CMGUY89]

Yes, but that is mostly to track their position and match the area music with the float. Most floats are manually driven.

[Shorty82]

Ride vehicles that follow a wire is old technology. It has been around for many years.

You want a high tech ride vehicle look at Test Track's. More computing power than the space shuttle in each car.

[CMGUY89]

Still doesn't keep it from breaking down constantly...
LOL!

[drcorey]

Still doesn't keep it from breaking down constantly...
LOL!

at least it don't blow up over texas....

[Randy B]

Ride vehicles that follow a wire is old technology. It has been around for many years.

You want a high tech ride vehicle look at Test Track's. More computing power than the space shuttle in each car.

That's not hard. By the time the shuttles had been designed, and built (not to mention reused for decades) the original spec computers were way out sized. In one of the early flights, one of the pilots bought a programmable "scientific" calculator at an office supply store and programmed all the flight operations and calculations into it. Then he ran it in parallel with the flight computers on board. The calc actually worked better and faster than the built-ins. Since then the pilot has a similar programable calc velcroed to their knee durring landing as a backup to the backups.

Heck, many cheep watches have more computing power than the computers that did all the calculations that sent men to the moon (and got them back).

Randy

[PapaMouse]

Yes, but that is mostly to track their position and match the area music with the float. Most floats are manually driven.

Really?? Wow. What a job.

I can see it now:

You know why I pulled you over?

Not really officer.

You were doing 10 over the limit and you dropped your Goofy a mile back there.