When I was young, I used to go sliding with friends on a long slope, in a field, near our village. To climb back uphill, we used a Ski-Doo so there was always one of us who had to ride the snowmobile down…
That’s where the idea for the Motobaggan comes from. It’s a small automated twin track vehicle that can carry three passengers uphill in winter. The Motobaggan is powered by a small 5hp 4-stroke engine positioned in the frame’s centre. The engine drives a hydraulic pump which in turn feeds two small hydraulic motors connected at the rear of each track. This configuration provides good traction and cornering capabilities.
The body is designed to accommodate three passengers. Each seat is equipped with a backrest, side handles and footrests. You can hang sleds or toboggans to a hook bolted on the vehicle’s rear. The Motobaggan is controlled with small levers integrated in the handles of the front seat. With its dual independent tracks the Motobaggan can move forward, backwards and rotate on itself.
The most important thing about the Motobaggan is that it can move autonomously with its sensors, similar to the ones found on the ‘Roomba’ manufactured by iRobot. When you’re on top of a hill, just press a button to activate the ‘Search’ mode. When you start your slide downhill, the Motobaggan follows your smartphone signal and comes pick you up at the bottom of the slope. It can avoid obstacles and it stops a few steps from you. You can also control the vehicle remotely or program it to reach a specific position with its integrated GPS.
I would like to thank Edgar Modesto who created the renderings for the Motobaggan!
