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#tanksimulator#analogsimulation#tomscott

This 1970s tank simulator drives through a tiny world

Tom Scott

6.7M subscribers • 28 videos on Hallway

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  • Recommended by 2 people: 2 on Hacker News.
  • Presented by Tom Scott

Beginner. No background in the topic needed.

11M views4 years ago2 recommendations

History and cultureHardwareRetro computingHistory of computing

Tom Scott visits a Swiss military museum to demonstrate a 1970s tank simulator that uses a physical camera moving over a miniature model.

At the Swiss Military Museum in Full, there's the last remaining example of a 1970s tank-driving simulator. But there's no virtual worlds here: it's connected to a real camera and a real miniature model. ■ More about the museum: festungsmuseum.ch/ Camera: Tobias Buchmann Producer: Sebastian Capeda at Viven viven.ch Editor: davestevenson.co.uk/ Audio mix: Dan Pugsley cassinisound.com (my microphone failed inside the very noisy simulator, he did an incredible job!) 🟥 MORE FROM TOM: tomscott.com/ (you can find contact details and social links there too) ❓ LATERAL, free weekly podcast: lateralcast.com/ youtube.com/lateralcast/ 👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: youtube.com/techdif

Why it's here

2 people recommend this

What people say. Recommended as a fascinating look at early analog simulation technology before the advent of computer graphics.

bux93on Hacker News • Recommends

On “A man who invented VR goggles 50 years too soon (2016)”

Using VR goggles that have no capability of viewing anything VR makes them just regular goggles though? This tank simulator from the 1970s is a great example of early VR: link to this video I wonder if there's anything earlier..
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anfractuosityon Hacker News • Recommends

On “Sega Jet Rocket: The '70s arcade game with no computer or screen”

Very cool, reminds me a bit of two Tom Scott videos (these ones do use displays though, but combined with little model worlds) * link to this video - 1970s tank simulator drives through a tiny world * link - Submarine simulator
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jtxton Hacker News • Mentions

On “Building a Game with the Real Engine”

Reminds of an early tank simulator where the driver in the cockpit saw a video feed from a camera on a gantry they were slowly driving around a diarama. link to this video "Real engine" for just one player at a time though.
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bitwizeon Hacker News • Mentions

On “Simulating a Machine from the 80s”

The Swiss Military Museum maintains an exhibit with a 1970s tank simulator that guests can try out. It consists of a tank cockpit in a hydraulically mounted chamber that can pitch and roll with the changing terrain. The operator drives a little camera around a large diorama providing a first-person view of simulated terrain; a "foot" on the camera senses the terrain which is then translated into movements of the chamber. Apparently all of the equipment is original except the computer; as computer parts became harder to replace, eventually they just used a Raspberry Pi. link to this video
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