a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
No, not a bumpy ride. Most likely a cam similar to the "Square Wheel" rides on the swingarm and driven by the main pedal crank. This vehicle was submitted by an employee to the All-Honda Idea Contest in Japan in 1974. Source: Popular Science, Aug 1974. See other Walking Wheels at the bottom of the Walking …
Source: MECHANIX ILLUSTRATED August, 1949 Truck Walks on Wheels ADMIRAL Richard E. Byrd's transport troubles in the Antarctic ten years ago started John F. Kopczynski, a student engineer, thinking: "Why can't wheels walk?" Conventional wheels merely spun and bogged down helplessly in the deep snow. Walking wheels could pull like the tracks on a tractor …
Read More “1950 – Elliptical Walking Wheels – John Kopczynski (American)”
Source: Popular Mechanics, April 1970. 1- SQUARE WHEELS WORK BETTER than round ones in this system for use on rough terrain- The sharp-cornered treads dig in on snow, mud, sand or steep grades, providing increased traction for trucks, tanks and other military vehicles. At the same time, ingenious self-leveling geometry provides a smooth ride on …
Read More “1954 – Square Walking Wheel – Albert Sfredda (American)”
The vehicle ПрОП-Ф (PrOP-F), designed by the Russian Mobile Vehicle Engineering Institute, was sent in a space mission to Phobos in 1989 (Kemurdjian et al., 1995). This 45 kg robot was able to move using hops, perform scientific experiments and transmit the collected data and the experiments results to the Earth through a radio communication …
Taking 400-foot 15-second hops, lunar "pogo sticks" could most forward at about 20 miles an hour—much faster than the four to five miles an hour of vehicles now being considered for moon exploration. The moon leaper was devised by Dr. Howard S. Seifert, scientist at the United Technology Center at Sunnyvale, Calif. This artist's concept …
Read More “1967 – “Lunar Leaper” – Dr. Howard S. Seifert et al (American)”