STORY: :: KIMM
This isn’t your common wheelchair.
Researchers in South Korea have developed what they declare is a world first: a shapeshifting ‘morphing’ wheel.
The expertise shifts between inflexible and smooth states.
Providing stability on flat floor, however remodeling into a versatile type when encountering obstacles.
:: KIMM
The design may enable wheelchairs to climb stairs and navigate rocky paths, with the wheels altering their stiffness in real-time with no need complicated equipment or sensors.
Principal researcher on the Korea Institute of Equipment and Supplies, Music Sung-Hyuk, says the wheel’s adaptability is impressed by the floor rigidity of liquid droplets.
“When the pressure that pulls the outermost molecules of a liquid droplet inward will increase, the droplet can keep a secure round form. Equally, our wheel is designed with a wise chain block on the periphery; the larger the inward pull on this block, the extra stably it maintains a spherical form.”
When wire spokes pull the sensible chain blocks inward, the wheel turns into inflexible.
When loosened, it softens, permitting it to mould to uneven surfaces.
The crew is eyeing different makes use of for the expertise, from private mobility gadgets to industrial robots.
“This modularized wheel might be connected to any cell platform just by changing current wheels. As soon as put in, the wheel supplies variable stiffness, adapting to every utility. We’re constantly conducting analysis to optimize the wheel’s efficiency for varied purposes.”