Help me out: Cool way to get around.

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:40 pm

Inspired somehwat by the old PopSci article on a wheel board (which I can't find), I want to make a similar device. Think of it as sideways rollerskates, but very geeky.

Basically, I want to add a tire to the outside of a roller bearing, and a small flat platform to the inside.

Something like this:
http://www.directindustry.com/prod/cpm/ ... 25789.html

What would be the best way to go about adding said tire? The inside part is easy - I have access to a welder, and I'm sure there's sheet metal lying around somewhere.

Aguiluz · Post by **Aguiluz** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:42 pm

I don't quite get it...

You mean one wheel with two bars sticking out left and right of the wheel?

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 7:22 pm

No silly, think minimalist.

One wheel. The ball bearing is the wheel. shoe goes inside inner bearing. I go weeee.

I was thinking it might be easier to cut a slab of rubber to size, but I'm worried about slippage. How do real tires keep it on?

Suggestions?

khaag · Post by **khaag** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 7:44 pm

I think you need to make us picture. Very difficult to understand what you're going for from imagination.

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 7:56 pm

nitro2k01 · Post by **nitro2k01** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 7:58 pm

Something like this I suppose?

And no, it's probably a bad idea. You'll have hard time maneuvering it. And you'll have to keep your legs spread pretty wide apart. Sorry to say it, but this idea isn't going anywhere.

Edit: Kurt_ was faster

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 7:59 pm

That's assuming I make one for BOTH feet. Who said anything about that?

Now, how can I glue a slap of rubber to steel?:P

nitro2k01 · Post by **nitro2k01** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:09 pm

Kurt_ wrote:That's assuming I make one for BOTH feet. Who said anything about that?

Nope. First read what I wrote:

And you'll have to keep your legs spread pretty wide apart.

And also: Try to imagine having these on your feet. No, really think about it. You'd have a hard time both accelerating/deaccelerating and steering.
Apart from that, our senses (Balance and vision) are made for moving forwards. How would you solve that?

Valium · Post by **Valium** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:16 pm

For kurts diagram, you'd have to bend your ankles which will ache after just a few minutes.

In nitro's, if you set your legs up like that, you'd have to travel sideways, which is both very unbalanced, and hard to maneuver and speed up.

If you made a platform of some sort, then it'd basically be a pair of roller blades with less stability, I don't think it's worth the trouble.

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:26 pm

Our diagrams are the same...

Anyways it's not too costly and would be a fun little adventure, at the very least some welding practice.

Valium · Post by **Valium** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:32 pm

Yeah I didn't notice the shoelace placement on the shoe, thought the side was facing me and not the front

Nothings not worth doing if you're committed. A motorized version of this would probably run very well with some fine tuning.

Bibin · Post by **Bibin** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:45 pm

While that design won't work too well, we should try to think up good easy DIY designs for making nice portable mobility systems.

Aguiluz · Post by **Aguiluz** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 9:06 pm

Kurt_ wrote:

Uh-huh... >_>

So you are traveling sideways?

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 10:27 am

Like a skateboard. But ub3r minimalist.