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Wheels That Permit 360-Degree Movement—Without Turning

For those seeking alternate propulsion systems, Mecanum wheels can be music to their ears

By Rain Noe - February 17, 2016

in Cars

Did you see Nissan's self-organizing chair video? In one of the cutaways revealing the stripped chair base, the sharp-eyed among you may have spotted some rather funky-looking wheels:

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Those are called Mecanum wheels, named for Swedish engineering firm Mecanum AB, where inventor Bengt Ilon developed them in 1973. Here's a closer look at some Mecanum wheel designs:

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What they all have in common is a series of tapered rollers angled at 45 degrees around their circumference. By placing these wheels with opposing angles on either side of a vehicle and allowing them to be controlled independently, a range of motion that defies a simple wheel is possible—and without having to install any steering mechanisms.

A company called Airtrax licensed the technology in the '90s, using it to create nimble forklifts:

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I know you think that the Breakbeat music was simply added to the video, but in fact, Airtrax's Mecanum wheels were fitted with hidden speakers and programmed to blare that exact song at all times. That's probably why the company stopped producing them in the last decade: Drivers who were feverishly overcome with the urge to boogie outweighed any productivity gains.

Several years ago a Japanese company prototyped a wheelchair that ran on Mecanum wheels. Learning from Airtrax's mistake, they declined to have the wheels' internal speakers produce bass-heavy club music. Unfortunately, they opted for Smooth Jazz instead:

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Despite hiring Kenny G. as a spokesperson, the Smooth Jazz soundtrack proved too cloying to customers and the design never took off.

For years, musically-challenged engineers have struggled to combine Mecanum wheels with the right type of soundtrack. Bluegrass, Death Metal and K-Pop were all attempted and discarded. It was only when Russian company Robotnik went back to Airtrax's roots that they struck upon the correct music. They again chose Breakbeat--but this time they cleverly stripped out the bass:

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Unfortunately, the Mecanum wheel community cannot leave well enough alone. This last group of developers started with no-bass Breakbeat…but then decided to combine it with Smooth Jazz:

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Hopefully this will serve as a lesson for those of you in the transportation field: Kenny G. has no place in the world of alternate propulsion systems.

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Lo pan

8 years ago

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It reminds me of some wheels I saw on a Kickstarter a while ago for a motorbike stand. A lot smaller and plastic but looked awesome. Go to about 1:24 on the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF_sNujjYX4

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- Lo pan
  
  Lo pan
  
  8 years ago
  
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  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF_sNujjYX4
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Eric Strebel

8 years ago

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Scary, I can tell who writes these articles not with out even looking at the bottom of the page...You are funny, well.............. it makes me smile!

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Noodle Time

8 years ago

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also, i believe the same technology is used on the container loading platforms that load airplanes. allows same type of travel in confined space.

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Noodle Time

8 years ago

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Noodle Time

8 years ago

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn5jkXEFTZ4
reminds me of the fordson snow tractor.... probably the same thing that inspired the creators of these wheels.

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- Jason Pokines
  
  Noodle Time
  
  8 years ago
  
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  Which in turn reminds me of the "Shagohod" prototype Russian tank you have to fight in Metal Gear Solid 3.
  https://youtu.be/XzyGCcr7DfA
  
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