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Self Balancing In-Line Wheel Vehicles |
Category: Transportation |
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Chris Tacklind
Twill Tech Inc
Palo Alto, CA US
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Page Views: 1,075
Votes: 9
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Entered: 10/16/2008
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Safety,
comfort,
and
efficiency
seem
to
be
mutually
exclusive
design
goals
for
a
car.
A
new
class
of
vehicles
dubbed
TWILLs
achieves
these
goals
and
much
more.
The
target
market
is
the
everyday
commute
to
and
from
work.
Single
occupants
commuting
account
for
about
21%
of
the
US
energy
budget.
The
core
technology
of
Two-Wheel-In-Line-Locomotion
is
computer
controlled
balancing.
Much
like
a
rider
on
a
fixed-gear
bicycle,
balance
is
achieved
by
computer
control
of
the
steering
angle
and
wheel
position.
While
stopped,
small
motions
forward
and
backward
result
in
small
sideways
motions
of
the
tire
patch
on
the
road.
No
training
wheels
or
kick
stands
are
needed.
At
speed,
small
changes
to
the
steering
angle
maintain
balance,
just
as
in
a
bicycle
or
motorcycle.
Smooth
transitions
are
provided
by
the
advanced
control
system.
TWILLs
have
the
lowest
possible
drag
by
eliminating
outrigger
assemblies
and
wheels.
Fairing
is
further
improved
if
rear
steering
is
utilized.
To
minimize
drag
the
shape
needs
to
present
the
smallest
possible
frontal
area.
This
dictates
a
low
streamlined
design
for
high
speed
travel.
Mechanical
complexity
is
minimized
by
using
simple
swing
arms
for
the
front
and
rear
suspension.
By
extending
the
range
of
the
suspension,
controlled
by
a
small
electric
actuator,
the
wheel
base
may
be
transformed
from
the
long
aerodynamic
position
to
a
taller
stance
for
good
visibility
at
low
speeds
and
tight
quarters.
When
parked,
the
transformational
wheel
base
contracts
further
to
a
tiny
footprint
for
efficient
parking.
In
this
vertical
position,
it
is
easy
to
get
in
and
out
when
the
bubble
is
retracted.
Safety
and
comfort
are
achieved
by
using
a
shape
similar
to
NASA’s
zero-G
profile
seating.
The
composite
seat
pan
spans
from
wall
to
wall
forming
a
rigid
“I
beam”.
This
makes
the
cabin
virtually
indestructible.
This
prone
position
is
like
sitting
reclined
in
an
easy
chair.
Conventional
cushions
are
useless
in
a
collision.
So
TWILLs
employ
an
array
of
compartmentalized
“bean
bags”.
The
pellets
flow
freely
in
each
bag
conforming
to
the
driver
from
head
to
toe.
In
the
event
of
a
collision,
air
bags
deploy
from
the
polycarbonate
bubble.
These
hold
the
driver
down
against
the
seat.
At
the
same
moment
the
pellets
lock
in
place.
This
forms
an
essentially
rigid
block
of
poly
styrene
foam
supporting
the
entire
body
including
the
neck
and
head.
This
far
exceeds
the
safety
of
a
conventional
car
and
may
be
applied
to
other
vehicles.
System
complexity
is
kept
to
a
minimum
by
employing
all
electric
propulsion
and
braking.
The
small
and
light
vehicle
requires
a
much
smaller
battery
pack
than
a
full
size
car,
significantly
reducing
the
cost.
Thus
there
is
no
internal
combustion
engine,
no
mechanical
brakes,
and
few
mechanical
parts.
The
dashboard,
entertainment,
and
communications
are
all
integrated
into
a
cell
phone
dock.
Haptic
feedback
controls
may
replace
the
conventional
steering
wheel
and
pedals.
Since
TWILLs
bank
perfectly
into
every
turn
the
driver
never
feels
unsettling
lateral
accelerations.
The
resulting
dynamic
experience
is
more
like
downhill
skiing
than
driving.
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Meet the Entrant, Chris Tacklind
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Contact Email: chris.tacklind@twilltech.com |
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Association: Twill Tech Inc |
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Profession: Engineer/Inventor/Educator |
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Company Website: http://twilltech.com... |
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Number of times entering contest previously: 0
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Design Tools:
Pencil and Paper
Physical models
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Software used:
SolidWorks
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Chris's favorite design tool:
Love sketching, but SolidWorks lets me explore so much more, so quickly.
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Chris's hobbies and activities:
I mentor Palo Alto High School Robotics and Lemelson-MIT Inventeams. In every spare moment I love to invent and design. I particularly enjoy mechanism design. Weekend architecture is fun too.
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What role does Chris believe product design plays in creating a better future?
There are solutions out there. Creativity and great design are what makes finding the solutions fun.
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Hardware used for design:
Custom
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