Tour across tough landscape typically includes some compromises. Paths will take you where you want to go, but they are sluggish whenever you are masking the open terrain. DARPA, nevertheless, does not believe you ought to have to make that option. It collaborated with Carnegie Mellon University on a Reconfigurable Wheel-Track technological innovation that transforms wheels from tracks to wheels while moving. Clearly, in the clip below, the modification takes just a couple of seconds — you might drive off the track and up a hillside without missing a beat.
DARPA is revealing RWT included in some automobile experiments such as an in-hub electric powered motor (to enhance speed and power) and Multi-mode Extreme Travel Suspension (to enable high speed over rough ground). It is considering technology that improves drivers’ alertness, too, like virtual windows (capable with 3D goggles), sensor-enhanced digital views and graphic overlays which help find the fastest, most secure course for off-road outings.
The switching wheels are a very long way from approaching regular automobiles. DARPA remains in the middle of stage two of a broader Ground X-Vehicle Technologies course generating RWT and the other equipment you notice here. While this might be most relevant for armored models that require to cover ground right away, it may also be useful for search and rescue, development and some other circumstance where there is a combination of flat roadways in addition to the hard path.
