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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.

"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

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