If there was a competition for coolest transportation device for the future, the diwheel would be at the top of the list with hover cars and teleportation. Over the past 3 years students at Adelaide University have been working on an Electric Diwheel With Active Rotation Damping or EDWARD.
EDWARD is an entirely electric diwheel, the operator is strapped into the bucket seat between the two large wheels with a 5 point harness and can control the machine with a gaming joystick. Full dynamic stability and slosh control allow the operator to maneuver the vehicle at up to 40km/hr, inversion control even allows you to drive upside down (if you are that way inclined). The next question is just where can we get one? Check out the video after the break for a demonstration of EDWARD in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf6Gh-hPDeo&&w=470]
G’day guys,
I’m the project leader for this in 2011 and having a ball!
Good to see this has so much interest!
Wish I could respond to everyone’s questions/comments but there’ve been quite a few!
This project is not as simple (or as cheap) as a few people seem to think it is. It’s an amazing achievment for the students who worked on it in the past considering the time and budget contraints they’ve had to deal with. Not to mention the OH&S hoops we’ve had to jump through simply to do basic testing of the vehicle on University grounds. In response to the questions regarding top speed, braking and stopping distance… we have NEVER been able to test it thoroughly. No one will give us a large enough area as they are afraid we will hurt ourselves or the vehicle and sue them.
As mentioned previously… the goal of this project was to learn important engineering principles as well as demonstrate control systems on an exciting and very fun vehicle.
I think we’ve achieved that VERY well!
Cheers guys!
Sam.
Great to hear from you Sam, I thought it was a given that this project is remarkable, its leagues ahead of anything I have seen at any undergraduate trade fair. although this was a 3 year masters project right? anyway, I love it and aspire to do something even remotely as amazing for my final year project.
Its remarkable they let you ride in it at all!
It’s an undergraduate honours project. So each year a new group of about 4 takes on the project in their final year of a 4 year degree. What you see is the outcome of the 3rd year.
@jarrod it’s @ the end in the appendices IIRC. Something about safe operating procedure, I remember seeing a graph of speed vs. min. stopping distance.
Cheers!
Seems like you could just have a well-lubed, bottom-heavy, free rotating segment in the middle, for seating, and you wouldn’t need to worry about balance at all. Just use wireless (ie. Bluetooth) for the joystick and you don’t need to worry about wires tangling either.
I like it, but I don’t think I would have included a harness instead perhaps a “plumb” weight or better yet something for damping.