Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Amazing Wheel Shapeshifting In Real Time
This KIMM (Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials) wheel is able to change its shape on the fly to adjust to harsh conditions. Inspired by the surface tension of water droplets, it goes from solid to fluid when it encounters impediments.
Engineers at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials have developed a shapeshifting 'morphing' wheel that changes its stiffness in real-time, allowing wheelchairs and other mobility devices to overcome obstacles with ease https://t.co/EQ3NIc7P8e pic.twitter.com/SDC3HR1ZN9
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 14, 2024
"The goal is to make this viable for speed up to 100 kph, or the speed of an average car," said Song Sung-hyuk, principal researcher at South Korea's KIMM.Wheels developed for a similar purpose such as non-pneumatic or airless tires have flexibility but are limited in their ability to overcome obstacles, said Song, who is a member of KIMM's AI robotics research team.
The morphing wheel consists of an outer hoop of a chain and a series of spoke wires running through the hub. The stiffness of the spokes - and hence the wheel - is automatically regulated by a sensor as it reacts to the terrain.
(Via Reuters)
Long time Technovelgy readers recall the Tweel, a 2005 combination of wheel and tire that could offer a number of benefits to owners of wheeled vehicles.
(The Michelin Tweel)
I remember in particular the smartwheels from Neal Stephenson's 1992 novel Snowcrash:
Smartwheels use sonar, laser range finding and millimeter wave radar to identify mufflers and other debris. Each one consists of a hub with many tiny spokes. Each spoke telescopes into five sections. On the end is a squat foot, rubber tread on the bottom, swiveling on a ball joint. As the wheel rolls, the feet plant themselves one at a time, almost glomming into one continuous tire. If you surf over a bump, the spokes contract to roll over it. If you surf over a pothole, the rubber prongs probe its asphalt depths...
Unique wheels are a special interest of mine; see these gems culled from the past two decades:
- Soft Robot Powered By Shape Memory Alloy Spokes
- IMPASS Robot Has Snow Crash 'Smart Wheels'
- Smart Wheels Are Artificially Intelligent
- Segway's New RMP - Robotic Mobility Platform
- Virtual Body-Swapping Tech
- Dynamic Augmented Wheel System Eight-Part Wheel
- IMPASS Robot 'Smart Wheel' Video
- Is The OutRunner Robot Like Smartwheels?
- Flexup Tire Design Good For Tumblebugs
- Flying Car Concept By Kash Sirinanda
- Vendetta 2023 All-Terrain Skateboard Could Use Neal Stephenson's Smartwheels
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 12/29/2024)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Engineering ")
Can 'Tactical Umbrellas' Shield One From Drones
'... another corner of his mind began to think about the shields.' - Frank Herbert, 1958.
Chinese Aircar Light And Airy, Not For Blade Runners
Daytime version.
The Morphing Wheel And The Smartwheel
'If you surf over a bump, the spokes contract to roll over it.' Neal Stephenson, 1992.
Transporting Antimatter
'...drawing plans for the magnetic tongs and bed plates and relays.'
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Project Silica Offers 'Long-Term' Digital Storage
'... folios and tapes and playable discs of platinum alloy.'
Can 'Tactical Umbrellas' Shield One From Drones
'... another corner of his mind began to think about the shields.'
Crystalline Structures In Space, You Say?
A massive space borne lifeform from ST:TNG.
Garçon! A Menu For Artemis II, S'il Vous Plaît
'Michel Ardan, as a Frenchman, was declared chief cook, an important function, which raised no rival.'
Amazing Photonic Crystal Light Sail
'That sail will be twenty thousand miles at the wide part.'
Blue Collar AI Goes To Work To Mine Its Own Crypto
Blue collar bot.
Rogue AI Replicated Itself
'Sapiro’s computer just kept dialing at random, hanging up on humans, until it got a fellow computer of the same type as itself.'
HandelBot Helps Two-Handed Robots Learn Piano
'I request that you feed the correlation between those dots and the levers of the panel into my memory banks.'
Woven Fiber Electronic Skin For Robots
'... all the feel and appearance of human flesh and epidermis.'
When AI Takes Its First Breath
Any suggestions?
Chinese Aircar Light And Airy, Not For Blade Runners
Daytime version.
The Morphing Wheel And The Smartwheel
'If you surf over a bump, the spokes contract to roll over it.'
Transporting Antimatter
'...drawing plans for the magnetic tongs and bed plates and relays.'
Polish Turns Your Nail Into A Stylus
'He wrote on it, using the pointed fingernail of his right forefinger...'
I Wish This Plaudit Pin Was More Like A Wristpad
'Frank was cursing into his wristpad, switching between Arabic and English.'
World's Largest Teleoperated Arm
'...a pair so huge that Stevens could not conceive a use for it..'
