Bumper Cars On Ice!

New York City has no shortage of fun winter activities, and four years ago, the Winter Village at Bryant Park introduced Bumper Cars on Ice. This weekend, the bumper cars are back at Bryant Park, and riders can glide, spin, and bump their way across the ice while controlling their cars with joysticks! Similar to the GIANT Battle Bots and other vehicles that GIANT kids have constructed throughout the years, these ice bumper cars are powered by DC motors.

Kids who have attended our STEAM camps and Hacking Smart Robots classes are no strangers to DC (direct circuit) technology. These motors are a type of electric machine that convert electrical energy into mechanical energy by taking electrical power through direct current, and converting this energy into mechanical rotation. The motors in the ice bumper cars turn the two wheels beneath each car. These wheels feature special, custom-made rubber tires that provide traction but won’t damage the ice surface, allowing riders to slide as they bump into one another. 

How do the riders control their rides? By simply pushing and pulling the joysticks in the direction that they would like to go!

Our Battle Bot projects have given kids the opportunity to work with motors that rotate a small cross axle shaft that attaches to wheels and makes them spin, turn, twist, and roll. GIANT kids have experienced hours of fun and learning while tinkering with with their bots, and then watching them in head-to-head action in the GIANT mini arena! Some of our young engineers have also tested their vehicles by steering them via remote control over a variety of different terrain including Imagination blocks! GIANT kids have also experimented with making non-motorized vehicles, including balloon-propelled cars. Scroll through the slideshow below to see more!