New 'shark wheels' reinvents skateboarding

For inventor and avid skateboarder David Patrick, it really is hip to be square: he invented a cube-inspired wheel which, he claims, is a big improvement over ages-old cylindrical wheels.

He said he stumbled onto the design as he was playing around with various rounded shapes within a cube-like space.

Or, more accurately, Patrick stumbled with the design: he recounts how he had accidentally dropped one of the shapes on the ground and it rolled away.

"One day, completely by accident, we dropped it on the ground. And not only did it roll, it kept on going," he said.

"The helix shape of it was completely balanced, so no matter what the terrain, it kept on going," he added.

After playing around with various rounded shapes within a cube-like space, he stumbled onto one that seems to be an improvement on one of mankind's oldest inventions.

He said that the new wheel, which he dubbed the Shark Wheel, grips the ground better, even on wet surfaces.

"Go faster. Slide better. Ride on wet surfaces with incredible grip or go smoothly through gravel. We reinvented the wheel. Literally!" Patrick and fellow developers said on their Kickstarter page.

As of Thursday morning (Philippine time), the project had almost 600 backers and over $36,000 in pledged support—more than three times its original goal.

The team behind Shark Wheel added the new device is "a perfect cube AND a perfect circle AND a perfect snakelike sine wave."

"Simply put, Shark Wheels are skateboard wheels that are faster, have phenomenal grip, slide better and look incredible.  They're also amazing performers in rain, gravel and on soft surfaces. They feel perfectly circular when you're riding, but look like a square from the side when in motion," it said.

On the other hand, it said the snakelike pattern "looks amazing going down the road and has superior performance in every category."

Patrick built the new wheel by taking six modular tubes, connecting them into a circle, and bending them.

"The helix shape was balanced," he said, such that it kept traveling on whatever terrain the helix traversed.

Also, he said the sine-wave pattern of the wheels' treads effectively reduces friction.

The Atlantic also said the new wheel has potential uses in other vehicles, from cars to robots to Segways "that could take advantage of faster, slicker, and otherwise reinvented wheels."--GMA News


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