Project: Roadless
indiegogo.com
Project: Roadless
1–10 of 17 posts
Re: Project: Roadless
#2Seems like a neat idea. I'm a software guy, so don't know much about the area.
Re: Project: Roadless
#3So you can reinvent the wheel!
Re: Project: Roadless
#4An interesting project, but I can't help but think that this problem would be better solved by Chinese Wheelbarrows: http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/12/the-chinese-wheelbarr...
Re: Project: Roadless
#5I'm not convinced of the utility of this wheel design.
Different wheel widths and diameters are certainly suited for different tasks, but in an area with no roads why not produce a simple wheel with large diameter and width suited for poor roads? There seems to be little value in allowing it to convert to a wheel design suited for better terrain.
Further, optimal wheel design matters most when you're propelling or steering the vehicle, as in a bicycle or motorized car / cart. In this case I suspect you'd be better off with the advantages of a pneumatic tire than the adaptability of this "Roadless" design. None of the Roadless concepts incorporate a pressurized air tire, arguably one of the most important transportation innovations in history.
And in any case, the added complexity seems unwelcome in this sort of environment.
Am I missing something?
Re: Project: Roadless
#6An interesting project, but I can't help but think that this problem would be better solved by Chinese Wheelbarrows: http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/12/the-chinese-wheelbarr...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelbarrow
I am kind of surprised Egyptians weren't the first. As a fan of the Chinese's Three Kingdoms (both the history and the novel), I remember Zhuge Liang (諸葛亮) invented a wheelbarrow called Wooden Ox (木牛流马) during the war (according to the legend his design was really intelligent). The sad thing is his design was completely destroyed and unclear what the wheelbarrow actually look like.
Re: Project: Roadless
#7 Raising money to pay for my remaining tuition fees
Re: Project: Roadless
#8Raising money to pay for my remaining tuition fees Is this just an elaborate way to get his student loans paid off? The project itself doesn't really seem practical.
If it is (an elaborate way to get his student loans paid off), it's a _very_ elaborate way... the project may not seem or be practical, but that doesn't mean that it's an attempt at a scam or some-such.
Re: Project: Roadless
#9An interesting project, but I can't help but think that this problem would be better solved by Chinese Wheelbarrows: http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/12/the-chinese-wheelbarr...
Looks like those would sink into mud. The suggested wheel seems more like a combination of those and dysons ballbarell http://content.dyson.co.uk/insideDyson/article.asp?aID=ballb...
Re: Project: Roadless
#10The spoke design is pretty clever, but isn't the real problem is going to be the tire? I can't think of any material that would be durable enough for those conditions and flexible enough to change shape with the spokes.