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This 1970s tank simulator drives through a tiny world

This 1970s tank simulator drives through a tiny world

Tom Scott
2 HN recommenders · discussed 2024–2025
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About this video

Tom Scott visits the Swiss Military Museum to see the last surviving 1970s tank-driving simulator. It uses a real camera moving over a miniature model landscape rather than any computer graphics.

Why it appears in the archive

Recommended as a great example of early VR and pre-computer simulation.

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From the Hacker News discussion

bux93 · 2024-02 · rec

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: [VIDEO] I wonder if there's anything earlier..

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anfractuosity · 2024-08 · rec

Very cool, reminds me a bit of two Tom Scott videos (these ones do use displays though, but combined with little model worlds) * [VIDEO] - 1970s tank simulator drives through a tiny world * [LINK] - Submarine simulator

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jtxt · 2024-10 · reference

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. [VIDEO] "Real engine" for just one player at a time though.

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bitwize · 2025-09 · reference

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. [VIDEO]

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