Tag: Treads

Most wheelchairs have one major disadvantage. Like the Daleks of old, stairs stop them in their tracks. Not the Scalevo. This electric wheelchair is capable of climbing and descending stairs thanks to a set of tank-like tracks that can be lowered to keep the user level at all times.

Whether or not you support the investment in military technology, you have to admit that DARPA comes up with some amazing technologies. A recent DARPA project is the Captive Air Amphibious Transporter (CAAT), which works much like a tank, except it floats on water.

Are you ready to ride your skateboard like it is a tank? Check out Rockboard’s Descender board. This baby is outfitted with treads that are wrapped around heavy-duty rollers. That means that it will go over terrain that normal skateboards could never handle.

Remember that futuristic concept watch I told you about yesterday, FOUR? It had all the makings of a great watch, except that it was way too complicated for my taste.

Sick of the sea? This new motorboat from Iguana Yachts will deploy treads and let just drive your fancy ship right out of the water when you’re ready to get back on dry land. Why does this remind me of a James Bond movie?

Ever since I first saw motorized skateboards, I always thought that there were a really great way to get around. Now that I’m older and saner, I know for a fact that these contraptions can’t be too safe, especially when you don’t have many ways of slowing down.

From the Tokyo Institute of Technology comes this slow, sad-looking, nameless but practical robot. It’s designed to burrow under rubble to serve as the eyes and ears for rescuers. Instead of forcing its way through rock or jacking itself up, the robot ever so gently lifts rubble using two hydraulic plates, minimizing the risk of inducing a collapse.

This palm-sized robot can wind its way between the cubicles at your office, snapping digital video of unsuspecting parties with a built in wireless video camera. The Surveyor SRV-1 Mobile Robot cruises around on smooth and rough surfaces thanks to a pair of tank-like treads, and can be controlled anywhere your Wi-Fi connection can reach.