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Originally Posted by KenWittlief
wow, I think you just blew my mind!
a sort of cone shaped wheel with a bit of a curve to it.
when one end is contacting the ground the 'wheel' diameter is very small, the other end large, and inbetween, infinitely variable!
all you need is pnuematics to tip the cone towards one end or the other.
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Okay, I think I'm correct now -- wouldn't this end up being a hemisphere?
If you started with the driving shaft parallel to the ground, the wheel circumference would equal that of the hemispherical equator. As you pitch the shaft toward vertical, the effective wheel circumference approaches zero as the hemispherical pole comes into contact with the floor.
Does that make sense?
I have examined other methods of using centripetal force to engage a shifting mechanism. I would like, someday, to build such a thing to better get an appreciation for its challenges.