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Looping the loop with the KUKA 4D Simulator

KUKA Roboter is really creating a stir at EAS

October 2, 2008

Augsburg, Munich, October 2008 – How do you fit a roller coaster in a trade fair booth? – Nothing could be easier! The developers at KUKA Roboter are showing how it’s done at this year’s EAS fair in Munich with a robot-based roller coaster simulation. At Booth Y, in Hall X, the new KUKA 4D Simulator is really creating a stir and ensuring all the thrills of a real roller coaster.

For years, the KUKA Robocoaster has enjoyed success as the world’s only passenger-carrying robot. It has been providing fun and excitement in entertainment parks for people of all ages. Now, in the guise of the KUKA 4D Simulator, it offers an entirely new adrenaline kick for all fans of loop-the-loops and breakneck speed. With a ride time of 80 seconds, it plunges its passengers into the gaping abyss of the eponymous Spanish roller coaster “Abismo”.

The KUKA 4D Simulator is a closable two-seater capsule, fastened to a robot arm that can move in six axes or degrees of freedom (6DOF). Inside the capsule, the passengers can experience a simulation, e.g. of a roller coaster, complete with the corresponding sound effects, on a 20" LCD flat-screen monitor. For added authenticity, the system has a ventilator that can be used to generate wind effects. This feature constitutes the fourth dimension. After all, what would a roller coaster ride be without airstreams? www.kuka-entertainment.com

All the fun of the air

It takes a certain amount of courage to ride the 4D Simulator from KUKA Roboter, as Abismo is a roller coaster that guarantees an adrenaline rush. Graphic, sound and wind effects all combine to make the ride highly authentic. The synchronized motions of the KUKA robot enhance human awareness and make the passengers forget that they are actually sitting in a simulator. The KUKA Robocoaster whirls them through the air in a radius of seven meters.

TÜV technical inspection and highest safety standards 

The project took three months from development, in which KUKA Roboter was assisted by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), to market-readiness. And the best thing about this new KUKA product: it can, of course, simulate more than just roller coasters. Depending on specific customer requirements, the occupants can be blasted off to Mars, schuss down the ski slopes or zoom around a motorcycle racing track. Fun is what it’s all about, but without ever losing sight of the main priority: safety. The KUKA Robocoaster has been tested by the TÜV technical inspectorate. www.kuka-entertainment.com