| Author | Message | ||
     Teeps |
http://global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/Lei sure/2009/spherebike.jpg http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/09/28/college- students-reinvent-wheel-with-spherical-drive-motor cycle/?intcmp=features | ||
| Xl1200r |
I'm scratching my head trying to figure out how the placement of any of those motors would allow the thing to move forwards in a straight line... | ||
| Sifo |
Looks like the drive motors have rollers on them to let the wheel roll across their plane. I.E. the motor on the top of the wheel (ball?) will control the wheel side to side, but will allow it to roll forward uncontrolled by that motor. This would require very small rollers with even smaller bearings and running at typical road speeds this stuff is going to have a very short lifespan. Did the wheel need re-inventing? Is this supposed to be better? Will it hydroplane with the slightest bit of water on the pavement? | ||
| Ezblast |
Handling at fast speed? EZ | ||
| Darth_villar |
Just because it is different... | ||
| Hootowl |
Massive unsprung weight. Notice that neither wheel turns on forks, so the frame should be the same front and rear. It isn't. The frame appears to be designed to have a fork in the front. The students who designed the frame weren't thinking about how their suspension works, they just built a frame in the manner that most other motorcycle frames are made. Swingarm in back, fork in front. | ||
| Ulyranger |
"For those who dream of having a computer-controlled car that watches the road, dodges accidents, and swerves around obstructions autonomously" Why? This....... .......but I am not one of "those" | ||
| Sifo |
I think this was more of an exercise to build a platform for a software idea. That seemed to be what they thought was the really cool part of this project. I can see that from an engineer's point of view. I don't think it's about building a better motorcycle though. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
IF the balls were bouyant enough to suspend the bike in water... you would have as a good a replacement for a waverider - as this thing represents as a replacement for a motorcycle. design over function Maybe the Flintstones could use it in a new movie | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I'd like a miniature one as a really cool looking mouse, please. |
