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Canadian Man Invented a Wheel That Can Make Cars Move Sideways (nationalpost.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Canadian man William Liddiard invented a wheel that allows vehicles to move sideways. "True all-way drive for anything with wheels," Liddiard says in an online writeup for his successful prototype of "omni-directional" wheels. They consist of a specialized roller-equipped rim that can move horizontally and a tire that is rounded like a donut. "This is a world first bolt-on application for anything with wheels," wrote Liddiard. "Now you can drive in all directions, and turn on the spot, when needed." His demo video titled "you've never seen a car do this...," has received more than 1.1 million views since it was uploaded on May 10th. The wheels are a "proof of concept" prototype right now, but Liddiard says the design would allow them to be made as durable and safe as standard automotive wheels. Omni-directional wheels are nothing new, though they are typically only used in wheelchairs, robotics and other small-scale applications. Honda Motor Co. debuted an omni-directional wheel at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, but it wasn't for a full-sized car -- it was for a Segway-style mobility device. "My wheel can hold ten times more than the other [wheels], while maintaining speed," Liddiard told Postmedia in an interview earlier this year. He's currently trying to sell his invention to a major tire or automotive company.
Standard modern tyres combine a lot of technology to make them work as well as they do in griping
Well I've had more than enough of my tires griping. If this gives them a more positive outlook then so much the better.
I don't understand exactly how these tires work, but having wheels with integrated rollers so that you can move sideways is a pretty old idea,
So, you are saying this is not forward progress, its more sideways progress?
How do the rollers get power
There are regional settings allowing for a range from polite persuasion through to bloody coup.
I'm really tyred of people using weyrd spellyngs like that.
Every year during the first couple of snowstorms you see cars (trucks and buses) do that. Mind you it's not intentional.