Engineers from South Korea and the USA are aiming at something very futuristic for the conventional tire and wheel combination. They are working with bio-robotics experts to develop conceptual origami wheels.  While the article just refers to wheels they look more like a tire wheel combination to us car people.

It took a team of engineers almost ten years to get four fully functional wheels that can be fitted to various prototype vehicles. According to the Science Robotics research article, the wheels change diameter from 46 to 80 cm (18 to 31 inches) and are capable of supporting the weight of a full-size car body.

How Are Origami Wheels Designed?

new origame wheel design
Source: Science Robotics

These Hankook experimental wheel/tires are made up of three layers based on a thick, flexible composite membrane that is constructed like an origami water bomb. For additional structural strength and durability, the rigid panels are clad with faceted aluminum panels.

In the basic state, the wheels are at a minimum diameter of 46 cm (19 inches). But when compressed horizontally they become taller and thinner, and the inner stop plates add rigidity.

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Engineers changed the structure of the wheel, the location of its rigid fragments on the polymer substrate, the thickness of the substrate, and the distance between the rigid fragments several times. One of the main problems turned out to be the selection of the optimal ratio between the thickness of the elastomer and the distance. They solved it with the help of modeling within the framework of the theory of Euler-Bernoulli beams.

Tests have shown that the wheels are capable of withstanding a load of 10 ± 2 kilonewtons, and the transformation at a speed of one meter per second takes five seconds. The ratio of the permissible payload mass to the mass of the wheel itself is more than 50.

Why Are Origami Wheels Needed?

At first glance this looks like a way allow a car to turn from low-riding highway cruiser to an off-road monster at the push of a button.  But in the video, the developers explain that this design is really has its use for robots, allowing them to get lower to squeeze under obstacles or increase the size of the wheels to move faster and smoother.  And unfortunately, in comparison with the simple old tire, a trip in a car with such origami wheels is still a shaky experience.

However, the engineers did not seek to make a commercially attractive product. Such a design may well be appropriate for exploring hard-to-reach places. For example, these places can be other planets, or in possible use for robotic combat vehicles.

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