It’s Thursday. James Bruton has built several bikes that utilize omni-directional wheels, but his latest kicks things up a notch with the addition of large plastic balls. Strange, yes. But you gotta see this thing in action!
-keep
The “wheels” are giant, hollow plastic balls called “walking globes” or “rolling globes,” designed to be filled with sand and used by circus performers. The bike is powered by five small, brushless motors: two on each ball at a 120ยบ angle and one on the rear ball for moving forward or backward.
Steering is controlled by the handlebars, but not in the way a standard bike does. The left-hand grip turns the bike left or right, while the right-hand grip controls forward and backward movement. A mounted panel has engine start and emergency stop buttons and yaw and gain controls. It’s unclear how practical this design is, as the wheels pop off at high velocity. Of course, practicality isn’t the point anyway, but the bike has a headlamp, a horn, and side-view mirrors for safety.
Balls As Wheels
It’s Thursday. James Bruton has built several bikes that utilize omni-directional wheels, but his latest kicks things up a notch with the addition of large plastic balls. Strange, yes. But you gotta see this thing in action!
-keep
The “wheels” are giant, hollow plastic balls called “walking globes” or “rolling globes,” designed to be filled with sand and used by circus performers. The bike is powered by five small, brushless motors: two on each ball at a 120ยบ angle and one on the rear ball for moving forward or backward.
Steering is controlled by the handlebars, but not in the way a standard bike does. The left-hand grip turns the bike left or right, while the right-hand grip controls forward and backward movement. A mounted panel has engine start and emergency stop buttons and yaw and gain controls. It’s unclear how practical this design is, as the wheels pop off at high velocity. Of course, practicality isn’t the point anyway, but the bike has a headlamp, a horn, and side-view mirrors for safety.