Maybe not! Just ran across this:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/shark-wheel-the-square-skateboard-wheel
This makes more sense on a skateboard than it would on a car - the contact patch is smaller and it wouldn't be easy to make a pneumatic tire in that shape (plus you'd need new wheels). It might make sense on landspeed cars where the tires are sometimes made of solid aluminum anyway.
What concerns me in its use in an automotive application is the bit about reduced friction. It sounds like it would have less lateral grip than an equivalent regular tire.
interesting to say the least.
I saw that on Shark Tank a couple weeks ago. The skateboard wheels are supposed to roll right over small rocks and stuff.
They had some larger wheels on a kids wagon and it acts like a wide tire allowing it to roll easily over all kinds of terrain but actually has less rolling resistance than a narrow tire. Pretty cool stuff.
handbrake turns without flat spotting, I like where this could go
That is non-intuitive to say the least.
I'm going to try to convince the wife to get a set for her skates.
Mythbusters did a segment on square wheels using a 4X4 Ford Pick-Up. As i recall, some of their assumptions were fundamentally wrong but it was amusing to watch the epic fail.
I would like to see them in a full side-view. The skeptic in me says that they are really much more round than square, and it is an optical illusion that they even look square at all.
In reply to SEADave:
From a side view they would look round because from a side view they are round. Not convinced these are anything other than a gimmick, but for outdoors on dirty surfaces they may offer some benefits. The derby wheels are not offered in the correct hardness for my wife to want a set.
Look at them along the axle line. They're still round.
SEADave wrote: I would like to see them in a full side-view. The skeptic in me says that they are really much more round than square, and it is an optical illusion that they even look square at all.
That's pretty much it, an illusion. Still neat.
SEADave wrote: I would like to see them in a full side-view. The skeptic in me says that they are really much more round than square, and it is an optical illusion that they even look square at all.
You're right - obviously they wouldn't roll without a perfectly round side-profile:
Not that it takes anything away from this idea. The shape in the middle looks like a Wankel rotor, doesn't it?
Edit: I think they're so good on dirt because the shape makes them naturally place protrusions (or loose particles) between the grooves. So instead of the wheel bouncing over rough surfaces it slightly slides left and right over them.
Did anyone find a "contact us" link on their web page? I know of an industrial application that could benefit that technology.
I can remember hitting many a small rock that either slowed my board or brought it to a dead halt. These would have been great for that
In reply to RX Reven':
mad_machine wrote: I can remember hitting many a small rock that either slowed my board or brought it to a dead halt. These would have been great for that
this is true, but even though I havent skated in ~9 years i always remember using closer to a 50mm wheel over a 60mm. Obviously a 60mm wheel like they offer will get over small rocks much easier then a 50mm, but of course thats just preference, some people like bigger wheels and it seems like the market for these would mostly be downhill boarders. also i doubt it prevents flat spots any differently then a regular skateboard wheel, if your sliding across pavement its still going to wear.
in the long run i dont see a differenct between these and if you had a regular set of 60mm wheels with grooves which you can do your self and is cheaper then the "square" wheels
HappyAndy wrote: Did anyone find a "contact us" link on their web page? I know of an industrial application that could benefit that technology.
there are a whole mess of people who make wheels in that configuration for industrial purposes. We have some for our forklift.
though what are really cool are onmi directional tires.
edizzle89 wrote: in the long run i dont see a differenct between these and if you had a regular set of 60mm wheels with grooves which you can do your self and is cheaper then the "square" wheels DIY tire grooving
Yes, this.
wearymicrobe wrote:HappyAndy wrote: Did anyone find a "contact us" link on their web page? I know of an industrial application that could benefit that technology.there are a whole mess of people who make wheels in that configuration for industrial purposes. We have some for our forklift. though what are really cool are onmi directional tires.
In reply to wearymicrobe: the company that I used to work for was a distributor for AirTrax for a short time. Everyone wanted to demo it, but no one would actually buy it. I can't say that I blame them, it is a fascinating concept, but it is obvious that Rube Goldberg is the patent holder.
back to the square wheels. I think that they might work well for load wheels on electric pallet jacks & reach trucks used in sloppy environments.
In reply to HappyAndy:
No more or less then any other technology that is not widely adopted. You could reconfigure a number of plants to be quite a bit denser with the technology but nobody wants to be the first to jump.
There is a group in Japan that has made a omnidirectional segmented ball for a ground based drone that works reasonably well right now as well
I know nothing about skateboarding, but this is an intriguing idea.
Also, the girl at the 3:30 mark has nice boobs...
All wheels are rectangular if you look at them the right way:
Woody wrote: Also, the girl at the 3:30 mark has nice boobs...
Careful now, we don't know how old she is (or which state she's in)...
They are round. They've just taken a larger diameter anf 'bent' it. The wheel will slide into a cylinder with no space around it. Cut grooves into a wheel all you want, it's still round.
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