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Circulus car's spherical front wheel works like a Dyson vacuum
If that rolling ball works well for a Dyson vacuum cleaner, why not put it on the front of a three-wheeled car? That was the thinking behind this Circulus concept car, created by graphic artist Santosh Chawla as an entry to the 2009 Michelin Challenge design contest.
The hydrogen fuel-cell-powered car would be driven by its two back wheels, with that front wheel giving the driver the tightest turning circle this side of a unicycle. The fanciful vehicle also features a huge expanse of glass up front, offering panoramic views of the road ahead.
Now all Chawla needs to do is figure out how to control that front wheel. This is a gorgeous design, but one that might be left waiting for a few decades until that Dyson-style ball is controllable. It'll also have to wait until hydrogen fuel cell power is finally practical in automobiles costing less than a million dollars.
Via GizMag
By democratsarefascists at 2:36 PM ON 07/27/09
So much for using the automatic car wash.
Just as well.
These little plastic ObamaCars couldn't take the punishment.
By Brass Orchid at 4:11 PM ON 07/27/09
You don't need to control the front wheel. You steer by controlling the drive wheels, like with any zero-turn-radius vehicle. The front end will point wherever the back wheels track, which is accomplished by varying speeds, or even reversing. The control mechanism has to be fairly complex unless you are going to use two levers as with a zero-turn-radius mower.
By RampantGnome at 6:27 PM ON 07/27/09
It seems to me that this has the potential to be dangerous in non ideal driving conditions. If they rely as Brass Orchid suggested on the back wheels to solely control direction, it creates the possibility for disaster if either of the rear wheels looses traction. Obviously losing traction is dangerous for any vehicle, but with typical vehicles if one drive wheel hits a patch of ice or hydroplanes, the other wheels help keep the vehicle under control. On this vehicle if the front sphere is not controlled and a rear wheel looses traction the car will veer pretty dangerously.
By Brass Orchid at 2:42 AM ON 07/28/09
Excellent point! Dangerous at high speeed. But in the Future Utopia, you use rail for all high speed travel and only use these useless and archaic personal transports for tooling around the city, and then only if you are an important public official.
By SteelFox at 3:42 PM ON 07/28/09
I am kinda sad the front wheel isn't a drive wheel. Empty Sphere's actually have a higher moment of inertia than a empty cylinder. That makes it a more while it is moving. I first thought about this when I noticed that the car Will Smith drove in I-Robot had sphereical wheels
Admittedly it would be a lot more complicated to make a steering and drive train for spheres.
By passer-by at 6:37 PM ON 08/05/09
Front wheel could also behave like rear ones, just need to make it double, i mean it could consist of 2 wheels which are close to each other as possible, able to roll at different speed. Of course it could only help rear wheels to steer the vehicle.
Sorry for my english, i hope you wiil be able to translate)
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passer-by:
Front wheel could also behave like rear ones, just need to make it double, i mean it could consist of 2 wheels whic...More »