Tweels

Quoted message said:

<URL:http://www.michelinman.com/difference/releases/pressrelease0110200
5a.html>
so perhaps we'll see them first on bikes (I wonder if the lateral

stability will be

Quoted message said:

sufficient). Obviously rim brakes won't be an option ...

"The Tweel prototype...is within five percent of the rolling resistance and
mass levels of current pneumatic tires."

Does this suggest it's slightly heavier and with greater rolling
resistence? Might be a while if that's the case.

This bit sounds good..

"Additionally, Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of
five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling."

Mark Thompson said:

This bit sounds good..

"Additionally, Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of
five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling."

Equally entertaining:

"Segway LLC's Concept Centaur, a prototype that applies self-balancing
technology to a four-wheel device"

Unless you're daft enough to put all four wheels on one long axle, it'd
be a challenge for most engineers to make a four-wheel that wasn't
"self-balancing"! ;-)

Jon

Jon Senior said:

Equally entertaining:

"Segway LLC's Concept Centaur, a prototype that applies self-balancing
technology to a four-wheel device"

Unless you're daft enough to put all four wheels on one long axle, it'd
be a challenge for most engineers to make a four-wheel that wasn't
"self-balancing"! ;-)

The two wheel Segway had some problems with the self balancing mechanism
and with the US consumer litigation climate has probably now been fitted
with two extra wheels so that if the self balancing fails, the user
won't get injured ;-)

Tony

In article said:

Mark Thompson said:

This bit sounds good..

"Additionally, Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of
five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling."

Equally entertaining:

"Segway LLC's Concept Centaur, a prototype that applies self-balancing
technology to a four-wheel device"

Unless you're daft enough to put all four wheels on one long axle, it'd
be a challenge for most engineers to make a four-wheel that wasn't
"self-balancing"! ;-)

But the point is to let you easily do controllable wheelies. Hmm, perhaps
"point" isn't the right word here. "The rather pointless reason they built
it is"?

Danny Colyer said:

This looks rather interesting - wheels with adjustable length spokes and
bendy rims, instead of tyres:
<URL:http://www.michelinman.com/difference/releases/pressrelease01102005a.html>

They're quoted as saying: "Our concentration is to enter the market with
lower-speed, lower-weight Tweel applications", so perhaps we'll see them
first on bikes (I wonder if the lateral stability will be sufficient).
Obviously rim brakes won't be an option ...

Wot? No "Tyre company re-invents wheel" headline?

Tim

Jon Senior said:

"Segway LLC's Concept Centaur, a prototype that applies self-balancing
technology to a four-wheel device"

I assumed it was something like the ibot levitating 4-wheel
wheelchair: http://www.indetech.com.

Actually, it's a self-balancing 6-wheel chair.

regards, Ian SMith
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