Trackless Vehicle Rides/Attractions

[Nrthwnd]

I was just wondering about this. Seems that there are these trackless rides and attractions that are popping up from year to year around the globe - everywhere'cept the US. (imo)

 

DreamWorld - Big Red Chair Ride

TDS - Aquatopia

TDL - Pooh's Hunny Hunt

 

And it's possible (rumor) that maybe there's going to be a 'dry' version of the TDS ride at DLP new Toon Studios, something scripted on the new Cars movie coming from Disney/Pixar? (rumor)

 

And back in '02, I went to this exhibition called Floriade, outside of Amsterdam, and rode one of these crazy electric driver-less carts around this massive green-grass pyramid built for the expo. Sensors were built into the 'road' for the little buggers to go up and down on. Slowed down, speeded up, perfect turns, amazing things...

 

So - any more of these Trackless Rides that are available now, or soon? I am interested an curious as they definitely seem to be a thing that could be a new wave of (here it is) rides/attractions.

 

Thanks! ~~

Edited November 3, 2011 by Nrthwnd

[maliboomer]

Tower of Terror at MGM Studios uses some sort of trackless system, I believe.

[Nrthwnd]

^ I thought of that, but wasn't really sure having never been on any of the ToTs, but knowing them fairly well thru online POVs etc. (o:

 

Another attraction that occured to me was Disney's two Indiana Jones in DL and TDS and Dinosaur in AK. I think this is the same way too, with sensors.

 

Of course I think the oldest known that Disney created, that was sort-of trackless (albeit an 1/8 inch wire???) was the original Energy Bldg. at EPCOT. Moving whole audiences thru the dark dank world of dinosaurs (read: how oil was made, lol).

 

Thanks for reminding me.

[davidmorton]

Interestingly I've recently been on 2 of the "Scooby-Do" shooter thingys - (they both had exactly the same story and props to them);

 

BUT the one at SFFT was on a track, the one at WBMW Madrid was all high tech and trackless - cool!

[CoasterFanatic]

Trackless Rides At WDW.

 

Tower Of Terror

Great Movie Ride

Dinosaur

Universe of Energy

[SharkTums]

Isn't the new Sally Dark Ride system like on Curse of King Tut at Walibi Belgium also trackless?

[kenshinmac]

Tower of Terror at MGM Studios uses some sort of trackless system, I believe.

Tower of Terror I am fairly sure uses a track similar to classic dark rides when moving through the building. Unless I was going crazy there were definitely grooves in the floor that the car was following. Of course it was dark so it could be a painted line but I doubt it. Maybe someone with a bit more experience will point out something I missed.

[CoasterFanatic]

^ It has to be trackless. There is no other way to explain how the cars perform a 90 degree rotation at the end of the ride.

 

For a bunch of cool stats and stuff, check out this page:

http://www.towerofterror.org/secrets.html

[4718]

Dive Devil at SFMM doesn't have any tracks, they've got 5/16" steel cables.

[DeliriumTrigger]

Another attraction that occured to me was Disney's two Indiana Jones in DL and TDS and Dinosaur in AK. I think this is the same way too, with sensors.

Indy is on a track.

[CreativeForce]

I think there might be a misconception running around out there where some people believe that "trackless" means no visible track. Most of the rides mentioned still have a track, you just can's see it easily.

 

Indy, Dinosour, and Journey to the center of the Earth all have vehicles which are attached to a sled which runs under the "floor" of the ride. That sled runs along a track so it "looks" like there is no track. (Only the groove which marries the vehicle to the sled is visible.)

 

The Universe of Energy and GMR are pulled along a course by a moving wire cable path. So again all you see from the ride vehicle is the groove where it connects to the wire.

 

The only truely "trackless" rides I'm aware of are Pooh's Hunny Hunt and Aquatopia. They have flat floors with no mechanics under them (Other than embedded sensors). The vehicles have a GPS system on board which tells them where in the ride to go and how to move. More importantly, the whole ride could be re-programmed to give a whole new ride expierence without haveing to change anything in the vehicle, course or building.

 

I don't have any info on the Big Chair Ride at Dreamworld so I don't know which of the above it would fall into. I really hope that more parks start to use the trackless technology (although, I'm sure it's pretty expensive right now.) I was totally blown away by Pooh's Hunny Hunt when I went on it. It really is just such a totally different sort of movement than anything else I have ever been on. It can go fowards, backwards, sideways, there are no constraints other than the boundries created by the show floor. I would love to see this used more and with different themes.

[JP]

Actually, The Universe of Energy Ride and The Great Movie Ride technically are trackless vehicles. While there is a groove in the floor with a cable embedded in it, it does not physically pull the vehicle along the course. The cable has a distinc signal "broadcast" through which a sensor on the vehicle follows. The vehicles steer and power themeselves. The vehicle's electrical energy is stored by capacitors located within each vehicle, that recharge by contact plates in the floor at every point the ride stops along its course. On GMR this would be the wizard of oz scene, etc. and on UOE this would be the various stops in each theater.

 

I guess you could call Indy and Dinosaur trackless, because the track in the slot below the vehicle does nothing to dictate the direction the vehicle is traveling in. This is essentially an electrical buss bar system that transmits computer communication and power to the vehicle, but if you watch the ride as it operates, you will notice that the vehicle will be steering itself through all the turns (4 wheel steering, indidentally). This steering is totally independent of the track, and the computer must calculate every move carefully to be sure the vehicle doesn't accidentally disengage itself from the sled (whick sometimes happens - causing a ride stop). Also, you will notice, especially in the dart room section of Indy, that the vehicle does have some lateral freedom from the track, as it shimmies from side to side, but the track remains dead straight.

 

These systems are all really complicated, so I'm sorry if this post is confusing. I've learned all of this from general observation and talking with people who have first hand knowledge of the ride systems design.

[maliboomer]

The cars on IJA are EMVs, they will be able to shimmy the car to the side, bank etc. while the floor remains straight, unlike TT and Journey.

[pianojohn]

I really hope that more parks start to use the trackless technology (although, I'm sure it's pretty expensive right now.) I was totally blown away by Pooh's Hunny Hunt when I went on it. It really is just such a totally different sort of movement than anything else I have ever been on. It can go fowards, backwards, sideways, there are no constraints other than the boundries created by the show floor. I would love to see this used more and with different themes.

 

Here here! That was by far the best thing I did at Tokyo Disney Resort, and I went during Christmas and only got to ride it three times, each time with an hour or more wait. Still, it was totally worth the wait.

 

Too bad WDW went the cheap route when they built their version down here. They could have had a world class attraction instead of a cheap knock off.

 

John

[kenshinmac]

^ It has to be trackless. There is no other way to explain how the cars perform a 90 degree rotation at the end of the ride.

 

For a bunch of cool stats and stuff, check out this page:

http://www.towerofterror.org/secrets.html

Why isn't there? The ride has a track for the section it is actually moving through the building it isn't on a track during the drop sections... So it could easily have a simple track for the progress through the building which it leaves to go into the drop section.

[Snuff]

The only truely "trackless" rides I'm aware of are Pooh's Hunny Hunt and Aquatopia. They have flat floors with no mechanics under them (Other than embedded sensors). The vehicles have a GPS system on board which tells them where in the ride to go and how to move. More importantly, the whole ride could be re-programmed to give a whole new ride expierence without haveing to change anything in the vehicle, course or building.

Are you in the know or did you just make that up? I figured GPS would be far to inaccurate for such a small place. It's not totally accurate and can be out by quite a distance. Especially for a ride with so many cars going about the place.

 

I figured they work like the forklift trucks we have at work. There are metallic strips in the concrete and magnets on the forklift. When the forklift is in place you press a button on the forklift and it will line the forklift into a straight line so you can go up and down the gangways safely without having to worry about the steering coming off centre. Steering is blocked and the only movement you can go in is forwards or backwards untill you press the button. I assumed Poohs Honey Hunt used the same kind of technology.

[Jew]

I was under the impression that ToT has a guide rail above the elevator car...

[Erik Johnson]

I was under the impression that ToT has a guide rail above the elevator car...

 

Check this site out.

 

http://www.towerofterror.org/historydesign.html

[Damien666]

You are right Elissa, COT is trackless. But it was not the first trackless darkride from Sally. Before COT, there was Labyrinth of the Minotaur at Terra Mitica (I think thats how you spell it) LOTM is trackless and has more then one ending. Don't get enough points, your not going to face the Minotaur.

[Angry_Gumball]

Eh...bumper cars are trackless

[CoasterFanatic]

Check this site out.

 

Don't worry about it Erik. Nobody ever believes me

[Jose Eber]

Just to confirm what others have said.

 

TOT MGM is trackless in (what I believe is called) the 5th dimension scene...the one with the eye and white light door-ish thingy. (wow, how accurate is that description?)

 

Essentially, what some of you are seeing are just path marks. Basically, when wheels move thousands of times over a specific section, you'll get some marks. The controls are all done through RF monitoring apparently.

 

So technically, that part of the ride is trackless, although the vertical elements are obviously not -- you need a guide-way.

 

But I do hear the sentiment -- Pooh's Hunny Hunt would have been fun here in North America

 

edit: indiana Jones isn't trackless -- although its close -- those engines do need power and I believe they get it from the ground (and not the aura of Maya). Also, what is under the ground is pretty substantial from what I see. Ever looked at the bridge? VERY thick. I miss that ride actually.

 

Also -- in Edinburgh they have a neat whisky museum with a very interesting trackless ride system...embedded magnets or something in the floor probably.

 

Also, someone mentioned GPS tracking? I would like to know if that's really true -- because I heard GPS was good up to 3 feet, so that's quite a gap, maybe its a refined GPS technology

[CoasterFanatic]

^ I know that the 3 ft is usually in reference to "consumer" technology. Don't know if Disney would neccesarily fit under that category.

[Jew]

I was under the impression that ToT has a guide rail above the elevator car...

 

Check this site out.

 

http://www.towerofterror.org/historydesign.html

 

IIRC, there is something on the ceiling that acts as a guide to keep it on track. Never actually bothered to look up though, so I could be wrong. It was just something someone told me once.

[Erik Johnson]

I was under the impression that ToT has a guide rail above the elevator car...

 

Check this site out.

 

http://www.towerofterror.org/historydesign.html

 

IIRC, there is something on the ceiling that acts as a guide to keep it on track. Never actually bothered to look up though, so I could be wrong. It was just something someone told me once.

 

I am not really sure, but I don't think there is a ceiling track. On the web site I posted there is a nice video of some of the innerworkings of Tower of Terror.

http://www.towerofterror.org/media/behind.html