Ten bizarre attempts to recreate the wheel to find out
Posted on 19-06-2015 at 18:20 by CasperH – 14 Comments”
Re-inventing the wheel: it is not for nothing that a proverb!
But well, there are through the years still a few attempts have been made to the well-known wheel to reinvent. Some due to technical reasons, the other purely because of the aesthetic effect. Some brilliant, some totally useless. We convert the most bizarre ideas for you in a row.
1. Monowheel
Why bother with multiple wheels? Why not just a vehicle to develop inside the wheel? The idea is already very old, but there is still no market for found. Still, the idea every so many years, new life is blown.
2. Resilient wheel
A lot of ideas are based on replacing the traditional suspension of a car. For example, the “resilient wheel” (freely translated: resilient wheel) technique we see a lot of. On the picture above (via Hemmings), we see a idea of Isaac Jay, in which the suspension occurs between tire and hub. However, there are many variants on this theme. Certainly from the beginning of the last century, but also more recent examples.
3. TWEEL
A modern variant on the “Resilient Wheel” is the TWEEL from Michelin. This tyre has no rim, and no air is needed and would be by BMW has to be considered as an alternative spare wheel. Not only Michelin is working on this kind of techniques by the way, Bridgestone is there.
4. Michelin Active Wheel
If we’re on the Michelin, the Active Wheel is also an interesting to on spots. In fact all the essentials in this wheel packed: electrical drives, brakes, damping, suspension and steering are all wrapped in a package of slightly more than 40 kilograms. It would be tremendous freedom mean for designers, who no longer need to keep up with drive shafts, engines and other major components. More about this Active Wheel you can read here and here. A short video of the first version we have for you.
5. Porsche Lohner Mixte
Drive system in the wheels, incidentally, is not unique to Michelin. The men of Porsche and Lohner were doing in the year 1900, when they have electric motors in the wheel hub of their Porsche Lohner Mixte, mounted.
6. Rotoped Walking Wheel
One of the most advanced designs may be, but from the years ’60. Julius Mackerle designed a wheel that to its own axis, could rotate in multiple directions, thanks to the loose rubber pads in contact with the ground is provided. More about the Rotoped, you can read here.
7. The donk floater
In terms of size, this is of course purely a matter of the search of the boundary of the existing wheel. But there are also floating caps set up so it seems that the wheel is stationary? Then you get a mention in this list. Nice is different, but special it is.
8. The track at every corner
Not just a tank, but “wheels” such as, for example, Mattracks that delivers: tracks on each corner of the car. Ideal for winter sports, said Ken Block.
9. Naafloze rims
On motorcycles is this trick still applied to cars rarely. Sbarro began in 2009, the Orbital Hybrid concept on its stand in Geneva, who wheels without a hub. The drive was moved to the edge of the rim. Chevrolet did it start this year over again with the FNR Concept, which is also the top of this article is depicted.
10. Tri-star Landmaster
You have twelve wheels, eight of which are on the ground. Never was it easier to after a flat tire to drive further. Unfortunately, this is not just a movie star, the car was developed for the film Damnation Alley from 1977, in which one had to move about the world after a nuclear war.
BONUS: Wheels are passé
Finally, the variant where the world has been dreaming of, but still not there: cars without wheels. Here you can see how that would look like.