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Electric scooters are everywhere in my city. Not the hoards of rental scooters I've seen in San Diego etc. No, those would all get thrown in the river by angry Eagles fans. I'm talking about commuter and the occasional delivery person*. People zip around on roads, bike lanes, sidewalks, wherever really.
This isn't the sort of city that enforces rules. Anyhow, as zippy and easily portable these scooters seem to be, their tiny wheels are somewhat outmatched by potholes, slight ripples in the surface, grit, snow etc.
So, let's add some off-road ability. To do this we're going with a single tank track. Scooter-type devices with dual tank tracks have been made <link> and Xiaomi have made a scooter with a small track in place of the rear wheel. Instead, this is a track running the full length of the scooter. This should give about 0.1 m2 of contact patch, about 10,000 fold more than a standard wheel. Plenty of grip. To reduce friction a little, the track will have a curved or possibly v-section, so balance will be required. This will be provided by the human in the usual way.
The obvious problem is steering. The most basic solution, for the bs0-co base model will rely heavily on the lightness of the scooter. If you watch anyone with a standard scooter when they need a major direction change, they just put their foot down, lift up the front and point the thing in the new direction.
The more advanced version will feature a track with sections linked only in the middle, so they can pivot. You can see this working in airport conveyor belts where the belts go straight and curve left or right. Inside the scooter, the ends of the track go around pulleys that are mounted with the same style pivots as skateboard trucks. These work using the lean of the passenger to turn the whole axle. With a flexible track wrapped around it, this would shorten the inside and lengthen the outside. Giving a turning effect.
Overall, the scooter would be slower and less efficient than one with wheels, this is inevitable. But, it would be a go-anywhere vehicle, popular in ski resorts I'd imagine.
*Although the electrically assisted mountain bike is king here.
Dual track scooter. Bulky.
https://dtvmotorcorp.com/
[bs0u0155, Jan 18 2024]
Xiaomi electric snowmobile conversion
https://www.youtube...sktop&v=V6Z0aR_KLuA
[bs0u0155, Jan 18 2024]
[link]
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//balance will be required. This will be provided by the human in the usual way// |
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The usual way of balancing a 2 wheel in line vehicle is by steering, you steer the front wheel to keep the centre of gravity* above the contact points. |
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2 wheel in line vehicles are usually called single-track because when rolling in a straight line the rear wheel runs in the same line as the front. |
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i.e. you will fall over if you try to ride this device. |
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*I mean the centre of downwards force but I don't know the technical name for this. Its the sum of gravity plus centripugual forces etc. |
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//you will fall over if you try to ride this device// |
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It would be more difficult. I acknowledge the lack of being able to move the contact patch as much as a wheeled scooter. But, people can balance on things without wheels, such as completely rigid balance beams, tight ropes or those hemispherical yoga ball things you get in gyms for some reason. This would be more like the latter, only with left-right balance only. You can also balance on a skateboard with completely rigid trucks, you just can't steer. |
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So (1) you can barely balance, and (2) you can't steer. |
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So not only will you fall over if you try to ride this device, but, should you somehow remain upright and moving forward for more than a few seconds, you will crash into anything that is directly ahead of you, and then fall over. |
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I like this invention a lot. |
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What other disastrous consequences does it present to the user? |
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It is possible to design a track with pivots such that it flexes perpendicular to the running direction. Steering it would be interesting. It would need a flexible guide and either the rear wheel would have to counter steer, or you'd have to steer well back from the front wheel, which is going to require a lot more force. |
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