Hankook is taking wheels to a whole new level with a flexible origami-like shapeshifting prototype that can be used on all surface types.<\/p>\n
Hankook has been working on this project for a long time along with Harvard engineers and biorobotics experts from the Seoul National University. After nearly a decade of research and several prototypes, Hankook and the team have finally developed a working shapeshifting wheel prototype and used it on a pair of vehicles to demonstrate how it works.<\/p>\n
According to the study published in Science Robotics <\/em>journal, the concept is called “high-load capacity origami transformable wheel.” As the name suggests, it follows a design language similar to that of the origami waterbomb, helping it transform from a small to bigger structure when in use. This isn\u2019t the first time someone thinks of building origami wheels, but previous designs have not been able to carry heavy loads like this one.<\/p>\n
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