Wheels of the future
Now, you all may be familiar with the standard setup for wheels on the car, four wheels in total, with two on each side of the car. But, there is another type of wheel which can allow for more than just forward and backwards motion.
As seen above, these wheels involve combining multiple smaller sub-wheels into one larger one. This way, the wheel can not only move in its usual direction (forwards and backwards) but the sub-wheels also allow for lateral motion (movement left and right). By incorporating these wheels into vehicles, they allow said vehicle to not only move forwards and backwards but also left and right, effectively providing a 360-degree range of motion.
One common way to mount these wheels, instead of placing two on each side of a vehicle is to place them at 90-degree intervals around the vehicle. This way, by only controlling the speed of each wheel, the driver is able to make the vehicle go in any direction. One such setup can be seen above. As one can see, the wheels are placed 90 degrees away from each other, at angles of 45 degrees, 135 degrees, 225 degrees, and 315 degrees from the front of the vehicle.
This way, instead of relying on some other force for lateral movement, which would be the case if one mounted omnidirectional wheels in the same way they would mount regular wheels. For example, if one wanted the vehicle to move forward, all they would have to do is cause motors D and A to spin inward while motors B and C spin outward. This way, the forces applied in the horizontal direction created by each motor would cancel out, leaving only the force which propels the vehicle forward. The same can be done for any angle in which the driver wanted to travel in, all he or she would have to do is modify the speeds of each wheel. Alternatively, if the driver wished to turn, the driver would only need to spin all the wheels in the same direction, turning the entire chassis either clockwise or counterclockwise.
Although this mechanism provides numerous benefits, there are still numerous drawbacks as these wheels usually require high maintenance due to the number of moving components. But, ultimately, this type of wheels provide a look into a superior mode of transportation for vehicles.
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