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Vendetta 2023 All-Terrain Skateboard Could Use Neal Stephenson's Smartwheels
The Vendetta 2023 is from Ungoverned and has front and rear independent traction control. Basically, you can skateboard over anything in nature.
The Pedrail Wheel, patented in 1903.
— Bill Christensen (@Technovelgy) September 9, 2023
'The tread consists of a number of rubber shod feet which are connected by ball-and-socket joints to the ends of sliding spokes. Each spoke has attached to it a small roller which in its turn runs under a short pivoted rail controlled by a… pic.twitter.com/fIJYppX7Nk
The Vendetta does NOT do all the thinking and balancing for you, you will require balance, skill, judgement, flexibility, coordination, muscle core, a proper childhood playing outdoors and ideally in dirt.This is not an electric snowboard, this is not an electric skateboard / longboard or non hovering hoverboard.
We are simply Ungoverned.
And we are here to push the boundaries of fun, adventure, human agility and mechanical & electrical engineering in a safe and respectful manner as we seek to explore further our awesome planet.
FYI: The greater % of our customers are elite athletes, X-sports enthusiasts or are in special operations units so before purchasing please first ask yourself...
"Is this for me?"
As I note in my post, the 1903 Pedrail Wheel uses a similar idea to provide mobility over any and all obstacles.
The Vendetta 2023 was in principle predicted by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel Snow Crash; he envisioned a skateboard with smartwheels:
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.(Read more about Neal Stephenson's smartwheels)
Another example of this idea (except that you can sit down!), implemented in a living creature, is the buggaroo from The Secret of the Canali by Clifton B. Kruse, published by Astounding Science Fiction in 1938.
(Buggaroo from 'The Secret of the Canali' by Clifton B. Kruse)About eight feet long, and half as high, their grub-shaped bodies completely covered with chitinous plates, they creep over the hot sands on their dozen stumpy legs with the grace and speed of a caterpillar.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 9/9/2023)
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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.
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