It can be used in wheelchairs
A patent for a wheel that can overcome small obstacles, as well as climb and descend stairs, was recently received by an inventor from Nizhny Novgorod. He suggests using such wheels for wheelchair equipment.
The invention is a support disk with eight support blocks fixed on it in the form of segments. Each block resembles two letters T, the crossbars of which are interconnected. At the same time, the “legs” of T are made in the form of trapezoids, with two longitudinal slots, and the crossbar is rounded. Thus, 8 crossbars of such blocks represent a vicious circle. On the disk there are guide spikes, one for each longitudinal slot of the support block. Between the legs of the «letters» there are springs connecting their crossbars with the support disk. On the outside of each crossbar there is a rubber coating that provides traction.
Due to the stiffness of the springs, such wheels will retain their traditional round shape only when driving on a flat surface. When hitting an obstacle, the “letter” that comes into contact with it, drowning, will move along the guides to the wheel axis, forming a contour corresponding to the obstacle. When hitting a step, one block will move to the center, and two adjacent ones will cover the obstacle, then the next block will move, and so on until the ascent or descent to a flat surface.