A South Korean research team has developed a new wheel that could make life easier for people in wheelchairs: It flexibly adapts its shape to overcome kerbs and other obstacles with ease. The wheel consists of rectangular blocks arranged in a chain and connected to a hub via adjustable wire spokes. By adjusting the spoke tension, the wheel can switch between a rigid, circular shape and a flexible form.
Tests with wheelchairs have shown that the wheel adapts to the terrain in real time and overcomes obstacles that previously could only be overcome with great effort. This could significantly improve mobility in a wheelchair.
Find out more in the journal Science Robotics or in the YouTube video.
A South Korean research team has invented a wheel that changes its shape in real time to overcome obstacles. Image: © Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials
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A wheel that overcomes obstacles
A South Korean research team has developed a new wheel that could make life easier for people in wheelchairs: It flexibly adapts its shape to overcome kerbs and other obstacles with ease. The wheel consists of rectangular blocks arranged in a chain and connected to a hub via adjustable wire spokes. By adjusting the spoke tension, the wheel can switch between a rigid, circular shape and a flexible form.
Tests with wheelchairs have shown that the wheel adapts to the terrain in real time and overcomes obstacles that previously could only be overcome with great effort. This could significantly improve mobility in a wheelchair.
Find out more in the journal Science Robotics or in the YouTube video.
A South Korean research team has invented a wheel that changes its shape in real time to overcome obstacles. Image: © Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials