RoboDevelopment: Galileo Hybrid Tracked Robot

Writing by Evan Ackerman on Monday, 12 of November , 2007 at 2:26 am

Galileo

I spotted this little tankbot at RoboDevelopment. His most notable feature is his treaded wheels, which can change their shape to adapt to terrain. The track itself is made of a stretchy material, and the bot can change its tracks from circular to… um… a sort of trapezoid (I guess) by deploying tread extenders from inside the wheels:

Wheels are good for going fast and for maneuvering, while tracks are good for traction and maximizing weight distribution to move over rough terrain. This bot does both, on the fly. Its tail includes a guidance camera, and also serves as a lever of sorts to help balance the robot and help it get over obstacles taller than itself. The Galileo wheel technology is being marketed to the military, agricultural machinery, and might also be a good way to drive a wheelchair, thanks to its ability to climb stairs. Personally, I’m hoping for a set of Galileo winter tires for my car.

[ Galileo ]

Comments (2)

Category: Consumer, Transforming

2 Comments

Comment by Nick Yeo Xi Liang

Made Wednesday, 17 of September , 2008 at 1:28 am

hi, I am interested to purchase the stretchy tracks on the robot.

You say they are marketed to agricultural machinery, is it possible that we could buy, specifically request to manufacture to required size or just get a sample?

Comment by Al Taylor

Made Wednesday, 17 of February , 2010 at 10:35 am

Hello, I am interested in purchasing two Galileo wheels, hoiw would I go about getting them?

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