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Darpa should have open betting market for these concepts. Only thing I might moderately bet on is electric motors inside wheels. Electric motors can be more

Darpa should have open betting market for these concepts. Only thing I might moderately bet on is electric motors inside wheels. Electric motors can be more durable, require less maintenance and perform better. That shaping wheel concept is obvious no go. I would bet serious money against it. Tank tread is the weak point even in modern main battle tank. Their design is simpler but they have problems with mechanical complexity and short lifespan and reliability. Tracks getting jammed or thrown track is relatively common. Just take a that wheel to a drive across mud, sand and bushes with lots of sticks and stones and see how it goes. Low maintenance and reliability are high on military priorities.

Retric 8y ago
The advantage over tracks is you can lock everything and use the wheel anyway over relatively short distances. So, you trade increased complexity for a vastly better failure mode. Yea it's bad for the car and passengers, but being able to move even 1 mile after failure is a huge advantage.
- Nokinside 8y ago
  You may not be able to lock it after you drive in dirt for some time or have any kind of failure where you lose the track. Having tires with adjustable air pressure, or just adding extra pair of wheels (you may lift them up) to the vehicle seems like simpler idea.
  - Retric 8y ago
    Losing track on one wheel is not going to stop one of these things from moving in an emergency. Plenty of videos of people driving even normal cars on rims. ex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1BgwX3hHgo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1BgwX3hHgo
    - Nokinside 8y ago
      You are focusing on very narrow concept and scenario. The overall maintainability, durability and cost is the issue. The ability of brigades to operate long time independently with minimal maintenance logistics is essential.
      - Retric 8y ago
        I worked in Logistics simulation for a little while. Humvee armor was a huge issue as it reduced speeds and increased fuel consumption. However, more armor on a small percentage of them was still extremely useful. IMO, these are of similar value. You don't replace all wheels, but assuming they mostly worked you could swap them in a few vehicles during a monsoon for example then take them out.

Retric 8y ago

The advantage over tracks is you can lock everything and use the wheel anyway over relatively short distances. So, you trade increased complexity for a vastly better failure mode. Yea it's bad for the car and passengers, but being able to move even 1 mile after failure is a huge advantage.

Nokinside 8y ago
You may not be able to lock it after you drive in dirt for some time or have any kind of failure where you lose the track. Having tires with adjustable air pressure, or just adding extra pair of wheels (you may lift them up) to the vehicle seems like simpler idea.
- Retric 8y ago
  Losing track on one wheel is not going to stop one of these things from moving in an emergency. Plenty of videos of people driving even normal cars on rims. ex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1BgwX3hHgo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1BgwX3hHgo
  - Nokinside 8y ago
    You are focusing on very narrow concept and scenario. The overall maintainability, durability and cost is the issue. The ability of brigades to operate long time independently with minimal maintenance logistics is essential.
    - Retric 8y ago
      I worked in Logistics simulation for a little while. Humvee armor was a huge issue as it reduced speeds and increased fuel consumption. However, more armor on a small percentage of them was still extremely useful. IMO, these are of similar value. You don't replace all wheels, but assuming they mostly worked you could swap them in a few vehicles during a monsoon for example then take them out.