Engineering students at San Jose State University have designed what may be the strangest and / or coolest motorcycle yet. Max Ratner and a team of undergrads invented the “Spherical Drive System,” which instead of wheels and tires, the motorcycle rides on spheres controlled by six motors on top of them. The result is an extremely maneuverable vehicle that can move in any direction. Continue reading for a video of the omnidirectional system and more information.
“The spherical design is actively balancing all the time, which is similar to a Segway. We chose the form factor of a motorcycle because we know it can handle high-speeds, but the Segway is limited in how fast it can go,” says Henry Li, part of the six-person engineering team.
