5 ms·

I have trouble making sense of this. What is the mechanism at work here[0]? Is it maybe storing energy that otherwise would be lost (e.g. from shocks, jerks, up

I have trouble making sense of this. What is the mechanism at work here[0]? Is it maybe storing energy that otherwise would be lost (e.g. from shocks, jerks, up and down motion of bike and biker while pedalling?) in the springs to convert it into useful motion, like the Achilles tendon helps humans to walk more efficiently [1]? Being a physicist, the name of the tech ("Weight (Mass) to energy Conversion Technology" [2]) triggered my BS detector pretty hard but I would like to give them the benefit of doubt. They have a Twitter page with lots of close-up images of the wheel [3]. There is one with a sketch of forces at [4] which might give insight into their reasoning (which does not necessarily mean that it is correct). [0] https://www.superwheelsystem.com/how-super-wheel-works/ https://www.superwheelsystem.com/how-super-wheel-works/ [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilles_tendon#Other_animals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilles_tendon#Other_animals [2] https://www.superwheelsystem.com/ https://www.superwheelsystem.com/ [3] https://twitter.com/thesuperwheel/ https://twitter.com/thesuperwheel/ [4] https://twitter.com/thesuperwheel/status/1275715365570588672/photo/1 https://twitter.com/thesuperwheel/status/1275715365570588672...

dclowd9901 6y ago
The idea seems to be you have a loaded spring at the top of the wheel as it’s rotating forward. The spring is loaded through some mechanism in the axle, which seems to be some sort of fixed axle that loads the spring through weight. As it rotates, the mechanism which forces the spring closed through downward gravitational force ceases to apply, allowing the fixed axle to unload that spring into the unfixed axle, which propels the wheel. It’s no more than a rotational gas spring. The same principle that lets you open and close the hood or trunk of your car with ease. At least that’s how I’m understanding it...
- jeremysalwen 6y ago
  There's something fundamentally missing from that explanation, because it doesn't explain where the energy is coming from. You can't load a spring without providing energy, and gravity cannot provide energy in a steady state system.
  - dclowd9901 6y ago
    Then how does it assist for gas springs? The reason it _isnt_ hard to push your trunk lid down is because gravity is helping you do so. If you take that gas spring off the trunk, suddenly you need a lot more force to compress it. I don’t understand your explanation: you can’t load a spring without energy, gravity + mass loads a spring, but gravity + mass isn’t energy. It is literally potential energy isn’t it?
    - function_seven 6y ago
      So in the trunk lid example, the energy that helps raise the lid was stored in the spring from the last time you shut the lid. The gas spring provides resistance on the closure, and assistance on the opening. With this wheel, the energy that goes into compressing the 12 o'clock spring must be provided (partially!) from the expanding 6 o'clock spring, plus additional energy from the cyclist to cover the mechanical losses in the system. I don't see any left over energy that can be used to help with forward propulsion. Maybe on very rough terrain it helps out by trading forward velocity with assistance up a bump, then trading the gravity on the other side of the bump to push forward again. But that's a far cry from the claims being made on the page.
jhanschoo 6y ago
The video shows elastic potential energy being converted into torque in the wheel as the wheel slides vertically down (due to gravity, without springs). The springs help center the resting state. Yes, it looks to me like it's trying to convert the energy wasted in damping into torque. The effect ought to be more pronounced on bumpy terrain and negligible on smooth ground.
- scotty79 6y ago
  Even on a smooth ground you move your bike up and down as you press the pedals. If you could turn some of that pulsating motion into a torque you could have some gain.
  - jhanschoo 6y ago
    This happens only if you are riding a bike with suspension. In which case, it's still less efficient than not having suspension in the first case. (Racing bikes do not have suspension because of weight and the inefficiency.)

dclowd9901 6y ago

The idea seems to be you have a loaded spring at the top of the wheel as it’s rotating forward. The spring is loaded through some mechanism in the axle, which seems to be some sort of fixed axle that loads the spring through weight. As it rotates, the mechanism which forces the spring closed through downward gravitational force ceases to apply, allowing the fixed axle to unload that spring into the unfixed axle, which propels the wheel. It’s no more than a rotational gas spring. The same principle that lets you open and close the hood or trunk of your car with ease. At least that’s how I’m understanding it...

jeremysalwen 6y ago
There's something fundamentally missing from that explanation, because it doesn't explain where the energy is coming from. You can't load a spring without providing energy, and gravity cannot provide energy in a steady state system.
- dclowd9901 6y ago
  Then how does it assist for gas springs? The reason it _isnt_ hard to push your trunk lid down is because gravity is helping you do so. If you take that gas spring off the trunk, suddenly you need a lot more force to compress it. I don’t understand your explanation: you can’t load a spring without energy, gravity + mass loads a spring, but gravity + mass isn’t energy. It is literally potential energy isn’t it?
  - function_seven 6y ago
    So in the trunk lid example, the energy that helps raise the lid was stored in the spring from the last time you shut the lid. The gas spring provides resistance on the closure, and assistance on the opening. With this wheel, the energy that goes into compressing the 12 o'clock spring must be provided (partially!) from the expanding 6 o'clock spring, plus additional energy from the cyclist to cover the mechanical losses in the system. I don't see any left over energy that can be used to help with forward propulsion. Maybe on very rough terrain it helps out by trading forward velocity with assistance up a bump, then trading the gravity on the other side of the bump to push forward again. But that's a far cry from the claims being made on the page.

jhanschoo 6y ago

The video shows elastic potential energy being converted into torque in the wheel as the wheel slides vertically down (due to gravity, without springs). The springs help center the resting state. Yes, it looks to me like it's trying to convert the energy wasted in damping into torque. The effect ought to be more pronounced on bumpy terrain and negligible on smooth ground.

scotty79 6y ago
Even on a smooth ground you move your bike up and down as you press the pedals. If you could turn some of that pulsating motion into a torque you could have some gain.
- jhanschoo 6y ago
  This happens only if you are riding a bike with suspension. In which case, it's still less efficient than not having suspension in the first case. (Racing bikes do not have suspension because of weight and the inefficiency.)