omni directional sidewinder forklift

[wuntun]

Thought this forklift/tire concept is pretty innovative. Appears that when both front and rear tires are powered in same direction, that will be the direction traveled (forward/reverse), but when front and rear are rotated opposite, then side travel is induced. Does my theory sound correct? It is quite mesmerizing to watch and figure out! Omni Directional Sidewinder Forklift by Airtrax - YouTube

 

[Wagtail]

Interesting.

 

[dragoneggs]

Very cool... first I have heard of this. Wonder if it is competitive priced?

 

[coldsteelva]

I imagine it's not 'competitively priced' as there would be no competition for it; we haven't even heard of it until now and the YT vid is of a quality that makes it look 'old'

 

[wuntun]

I imagine it's not 'competitively priced' as there would be no competition for it; we haven't even heard of it until now and the YT vid is of a quality that makes it look 'old'

coldsteel, you may be correct about it not being 'new'. I first seen this forklift on a new episode of Mythbusters a couple of days ago. After some searching, I found the YT vid I posted, along with several others that shown the capabilities of such mobility. One of the videos was dated November 2010, with one comment(unofficial) stating they were invented in 1973. It is probably very expensive, as it is not just replacing old wheels, it is the complete re-design of the machine and HOW the vehicle is manuvered. Plus if it were reasonably priced, it would certainly be more popular.