Record number of ETF vehicles in new experience museum “La Restitution de la Grotte Cosquer”

By | June 8, 2022

In Marseille, “La Restitution de la Grotte Cosquer” opened last Saturday, including a ride for which ETF Ride Systems was allowed to supply no less than 44 trackless Multi Mover vehicles. A record number for one ride for the company!

For ETF, this project was a beautiful challenge: “Our customer asked for a very low speed of 4.7 cm per second. We had never made such a low speed before. This project asked for different engines and engine settings which we carefully tested and successfully implemented”, said Ruud Koppers (President ETF).

Koppens continues: “In addition, the client asked for a not fixed but a flexible ride profile. This allows – on the fly – to change the ride speed without stopping the ride. This also requires adjustment of the programming in order to guarantee the level of safety. In this ride, our vehicles move exactly 50 cm apart from each other in the slow sections. As soon as a vehicle slows down or speeds up, this has an effect on the programming. Especially on a track with many curves and tight corners. Our vehicles are therefore equipped with smart technology. As soon as the ride changes speed, the vehicles will adjust themselves adaptively to each other. The visitor doesn’t notice this, keeps the experience and can enjoy the ride to the fullest.”

The experience museum is about the prehistoric underwater cave that was discovered by diver Henri Cosquer. The entrance to the cave is 37 meters below the current sea level and could only be reached through a narrow, dark tunnel of 175 meters. Inside, it is richly decorated with drawings from around 18,500 BC, but these too are estimated to be about 80% underwater. An extraordinary discovery that is difficult to visit! Now “La Restitution de la Grotte Cosquer” brings the cave to life for a larger audience, including our ride.

Visitors descend below sea level, as in the real cave, and board our vehicles including an audio guide. The vehicles have a black matt finish to not disturb the ambiance of the experience. During the ride, the discoveries in the cave pass by, as well as the play of reflections of the water, to make the atmosphere of the sunken cave real. The ride takes about 40 minutes, so we delivered the record number of 44 vehicles to reach the desired capacity.