Patent ID: 8978807
Filing Date: 2015-03-17
Classification: B60B,B60Y,B62D

Abstract:
1. A terrain traversing device, comprising: a housing; at least one microspine wheel assembly comprising a circular planar rotor with one or more microspine hooks arranged on a circumferential edge of said circular planar rotor, each microspine hook mounted on a respective independently flexible suspension that accommodates variable engagement angles between said microspine hook and irregularities on a terrain surface as the at least one microspine wheel assembly rotates in one direction to urge the terrain traversing device to traverse the terrain surface; at least two axles, comprising a first and second axle, wherein the at least one microspine wheel assembly is at least two microspine wheel assemblies, each mounted on a respective axle whereby the circular planar rotor of each microspine wheel assembly is rotatable in one direction, with the respective axle, to urge the terrain traversing device to traverse the terrain surface or more motors housed in the housing and coupled to the at least two axles, the two or more motors configured to respectively rotate the at least two microspine wheel assemblies in one direction to urge the terrain traversing device to traverse the terrain surface, wherein the at least two axles are mounted substantially adjacent to each other with the wheel assemblies substantially parallel to each other and have a sweep angle with respect to each other and to a center of the terrain traversing device, and a positive sweep angle corresponds to the microspine wheel assemblies of the first and second axles forming a chevron shaped arrangement with respect to the center of the terrain traversing device.