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Leave it to the French to try something different--a new prototype platform for electric cars from Citroen doesn't need to steer the wheels, because normal (cylindrical) wheels are replaced by spherical tires, made specially by Goodyear. https://www.tiretechnologyinternational.com/news/new-tires-news/goodyear-develops-bespoke-eagle-360-spherical-concept-tire-for-citroen.html
Goodyear introduced the Eagle 360 concept at the Geneva International Motor Show in 2016, with a second iteration, the Eagle 360 Urban concept, following in 2017. The latest iteration of the design features a high level of maneuverability (due to the tire’s spherical shape) and long-lasting attributes (thanks to a tread surface that is four times larger than a standard tire). The tire provides extended range due to a low-rolling-resistance rubber and consistent grip in all driving directions thanks to hexagonal siping.
Link includes pics of the car/platform and the tire tread. Are you ready to drive on big black soccer balls? I want mine multi-colored like beach balls.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Wednesday October 06 2021, @01:18AM (9 children)
Kinda like a mouse ball, I suppose. Remember those?
My first thought was stopping it falling out but still allowing rotation in every direction will need some kind of friction against whatever retains it, which could increase wear. There's also the question of how you transmit power to it. I'm guessing you'd need smaller wheels or rollers that rub against it, which doesn't seem very efficient. Then you need to add a suspension system to that.
Master of the science of the art of the science of art.
(Score: 2) by optotronic on Wednesday October 06 2021, @01:39AM (2 children)
I had similar thoughts, and also the complexity of changing a "tire" and the cost.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by stretch611 on Wednesday October 06 2021, @03:49PM
Well to change it, it likely will not be much worse than an existing tire. Elevate the tire, remove one side of the cage it is in (likely no more difficult than removing lug nuts,) take it out of the cage and swap in the replacement.
However a spare may be a more difficult item to carry... I would expect that to take more room in the trunk due to the shape and no "doughnuts."
But truth be told, I would expect some type of "run flat" technology... either a solid core (not necessarily rubber) or even a hollow steel/aluminum sphere as a core which could be lightweight and provide a lot of support for the tire.
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
(Score: 2) by driverless on Thursday October 07 2021, @02:44AM
And the, from the image anyway, nonexistent ground clearance, and the difficulty of giving it a proper suspension, and the inefficient transfer of energy to the "tire", and ...
All in all it looks like a "look what we've actually managed to do" rather than anything that will see any practical use.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Wednesday October 06 2021, @02:14AM
Once you have seen it you can't unsee it. It really does look like some old ball mouse.
Can it really be cheaper to make then normal tires? They will take up more space won't they? Sure it could change directions fast and such but the wear and tear seems like it would be an issue. A normal tire shouldnt have those issues.
(Score: 2) by EETech1 on Wednesday October 06 2021, @04:51AM (2 children)
Why are we even touching the road anymore?
https://youtu.be/wCj1kJ1Fyk4 [youtu.be]
Give me a hovercar!
(Score: 3, Touché) by maxwell demon on Wednesday October 06 2021, @06:35AM (1 child)
Well, if you pay for the cost of adding electromagnets and controlling electronics to every single road, as well as maintaining and operating those systems, I'm all for it. If I have to pay for it, not so much.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2, Informative) by nitehawk214 on Wednesday October 06 2021, @02:25PM
It will be covered by SOLAR FRICKIN ROADWAYS
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 5, Insightful) by maxwell demon on Wednesday October 06 2021, @06:26AM
Yeah, and I also remember the problems that those mice often had, when the ball wouldn't rotate because it picked up some dirt. And the mouse was operated on a relatively clean surface, not on a dirty road.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday October 06 2021, @04:30PM
Easy. You have jets on the car that provide thrust, with a housing that lets you vector that thrust. If you get stuck in the mud you can deflect the blast downward to hop out. If you get stuck in traffic, you can do the same and hop over other cars.
It would make for some pretty great driving hijinks, too.
Washington DC delenda est.