creating the ultimate driving game

[Karu62]

this starts off with a question about physics.

it all started about 2 weeks ago when my grandson aksed me about RC cars. i started looking into it and found alot of advances in the hobby. things like FPV remote camera viewing to computer/wheel controllers.

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now for the big question about physics. if you were to build a scale model of an car, say a Veyron, and have the suspension layout and geometry accurate to scale, is there a weight that can be modelled that would make the car behave like its full size counterpart?

imagine a 1/10 scale Veyron in a 1/10 scale enviroment with FPV and PC controll. 25 mph would look like 250 mph. the big question would be if the scale car and weight would act like the real thing going 250 mph,when only going 25.

add to all that an electronic circuit that could read the electrical feedback coming from the steering servo and translate that into a Force Feedback signal for the wheel.that same circuit can also read the electrical load on the motor that the computer can translate into a realistic soundbyte so you hear a Veyron as well as feel it.

after that you would only be limited by money. money to by real estate and communication repeaters. you could theoretically recreate a TDU enviroment, to scale, in the real world. you could call it Test Drive Ultimate.

its not something that could be on the internet, at least not internationally due to latency of the video signal. but it might be possible to have it on a local area net close to a major city. but would likely need to be an onsite game.

with maximum real-world speeds only approaching 30 mph, with the average being 15-20 mph, the cars could be made tough enough to survive the worst crashes.

yes?

[MadManCK]

I will call NASA to see if something is missing

[Psysim]

If you were to re-build each crucial part to replica-scale, including (not limited to) hubs, swinging arms ect, then I should think you could get very close to accurate. I have a couple of RC's that I've had gathering dust for a while. Small problem with current RC's is the lack of replication. Weak or no dampers is the biggest issues I've found, shock doesn't get absorbed correctly which is why they skip across the road so easily. Without dampers in the front, it bounces which loses front end traction. Weight distribution isn't very accurate either. Most RC's have a rear motor and a central battery with rear wheel drive (sometimes 4wd) which makes them perform like less common rwd's (which I actually prefer) and the weight of the models is nowhere near scaled. The weight is important, but distribution of the weight is equally important. Not just front to rear but in all 3 axis. While some RC's have a locked, split or open diff, you will probably want a limited slip diff if you want it to feel more realistic and this will involve replicating some kind of clutch or similar.

Their are elements you will not be able to change, like wind and air density that you won't be able to scale. When it comes to the feedback, I could see that being very hard, this would be down to the servos used and the fact that they have very little interface, I believe it only receives signals from the thingy (forgot what its called) box. To work out the force on the steering, an equation of speed, direction and heading is required. Something like (I don't remember it exactly) heading - direction * (speed / something), its not too hard to workout, but takes a while to get right. If your any good at JavaScript (i think) try unity game engine to build a force-feedback model, this will also give you some idea about the input device your using and how it works. If you are going to try and make something big, I can recommend windscreen wiper motors (non-crank type) for steering, they are extremely tough and I'm sure you could interface them

I like this idea, but I would think about upping the scale for accuracy, maybe something about half the size of a cadet go-kart?

At 30mph without some serious engineering I would expect some damage....

If it gives you any ideas, I tried to make a truck out of aluminum and acrylic some years ago and it was a hard task that never got completed. I ended up needing the parts to build something else.