The way back machine, and looking forward.

While the vehicle featured in the video above is a rehash of the original, my first autonomous vehicle was the Big Trak. It was an amazing piece of engineering courtesy of Milton Bradley, and mine came to me thanks to my Dad's work cleaning out some old junk.

You see, in the mid-80's my Dad worked as the assistant director of a science museum. Let me tell you, when you are seven-ish, this is only slightly less cool than your Dad being an astronaut. I pretty much had free run of the place when I would visit, and one day, while poking around, I found one of these guys being sent out to the dumpster. I asked around about it, and found it had been used during a demonstration about robotics in the early 80's, but had been recently replaced by a donated HERO robot. I asked if I could have this coolest of toys, and was told it had to go to the dumpster first. After that, it was fair game. So, I waited. Later I dumpster dived my first autonomous vehicle. Prior to this I had a remote control car, but with this thing I could program a course, hit start, and send it on its way! How cool was that? VERY COOL! About two years later, my parents bought me my first RC airplane, which I flew, crashed, repaired, and flew again for several years.

Many years later, I have re-entered the RC aircraft world, and am now pondering re-entering the autonomous vehicle world in the form of UAS. Things have come full circle, I suppose. But, as I read, and study, and think, and ponder, I sometimes wish there was the autonomous quadcopter version of the Big Trak. Something I, and more particularly my son and daughter in a few years, could pick up, program, and let go. I understand there is a big difference between flying, and rolling around the living room carpet. Still, I can't help but think a cheap, easy, safe experimental platform for kids would be a tremendous benefit to the UAV hobby, and budding UAS industry. If middle school children were to experiment with, "drones," and share their positive experience and excitement with parents, perhaps the general public would become more accepting. As an added benefit, these children would be ready to move into a future where the technology becomes an integral part of society.

I feel we are at a point where aviation was about a hundred years ago, or personal computers were around thirty years ago. We are at the point where viable, commercial applications are being seen, and UAS, particularly sUAS, are no longer the domain of the small hobbyists, big government, and big corporations. The, "drone," is becoming democratized. This is a good thing! But, if the DJI Phantom has become the Macintosh of UAV's, where is the Apple II the middle-school kids can play with?

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  • John...I have thought maybe a basic electronics package could be distributed for those wanting the challenge of a build from frame up. Then, an all inclusive ready to assemble kit. Then a partially assembled kit. Finally a RTF model. Some programs might just be interested in the flight programming aspect, and not the full build.
  • Gahanna Lincoln HS on that list is about 5 miles from my front door. I know there is also another high school tech program here in my area doing robotics, as they were showing off their basketball shooting robot at a festival. Of course, OSU is a big one here in Columbus too. I may have to find some contacts, and ask some questions.
  • Even better, it would get kids thinking by being offered in some level(s) of kit form ("some assembly required... LiPo batteries included... "), and at a cost that is tolerable to many schools, or to schools with additional funding from parents or the kids themselves. Something as a seed for an alternative to (for example) this program.with participation from many educational institutions around the world.

    MATE - Marine Advanced Technology Education :: ROV Competition Home
    The Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center is a national partnership of organizations working to improve marine technical education and i…
  • Or path of flight.
  • I used the word basic excessively...I just noticed. I could see simple obstacle avoidance too. At least stop if something is in front of it.
  • John, it sounds like a tall order when put that way. But, I imagine one could be made more as a gym flyer, use a basic optical or ultrasonic altitude hold. With optical, a basic line track setup could be implemented as well. As long as it self stabilized, a basic tilt x degrees for y time would allow a basic "step" movement ability. It might move in any direction one foot, stabilize, move again, stabilize, move again...so on, until the program was complete. I think programming could come from a tablet or smartphone, or a laptop. Perhaps basic telemetry could be sent back. I am not thinking this has to be able to navigate around any environment with great precision. It would be something for use in controlled setting s, to get kids thinking.
  • hmmm  something that is small and light, with totally enclosed props, "easy" to program a flight path, can be found when it flies out of sight, has enough lift capacity for at least one sensing or data gathering device, and can be set to a maximum altitude so *someone* has a chance of retrieving it from a shelf, tree, rooftop or other higher place. Sounds like there should be a market for a system that meets at least those requirements, for starters.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvVBg6Ai8b8&feature=youtube_gda...

    Forgot link...sorry.

    There is a great page I found last night about a guy who dissects one of the Big Traks in detail. When I get home, I will post it up. You can see how some very crafty engineers were able to design this, and keep costs low, way back in 1979!
  • Looks like lucky Soviet children (wow, I haven't typed Soviet in a long time) got a slightly cooler version which could launch a rotor blade attachment.
  • Thanks!

    This is awesome. I had one of the big ones when they were first inrtoduced. I LOVED it. It had the dump truck attachment.

      A couple years ago for Christmas, my wife found another one and got it for me. It resides in storage currently, but your post has me wanting to dig it up.

    Thanks

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