Industrial Design degree thesis by Milco Migliori: Freeball – Trepalle seduto, a vehicle on articulated spherical wheels.
The project does not aim to produce a vehicle that meets all motor-vehicle safety regulations; rather, it seeks to make people interact with the machine, becoming part of it. Future studies on rigid protections, airbags and so on can address safety. Nor does the project consider shelter from the weather: the vehicle is conceived as similar to a motorcycle, with a helmet to protect the head. As for weather protection, the study of Technogel (a PUR material with shape-memory mechanical properties), chosen as suitable for the ergonomic “seat” support, inspired a cover that can be pulled out of the vehicle, modelled on the covers on the upper surface of a kayak, sheltering the user from rain and cold.
To overturn the conventions of wheeled movement of all vehicles, by changing four concepts: mobility, handling, joint, play.
Mobility. The vehicle is designed to carry people; mobility becomes extremely simple thanks to a motion system based on spherical tyres articulated on a spherical cap system. The vehicle is thus free from the steering constraints that limit manoeuvrability in urban centres.
Handling. Applied to an object for moving goods, the same system would substantially facilitate stocking and warehousing; moreover, thanks to its load-bearing vaulted arch and spheres, it can support heavy loads.
Joint. Having no fixed direction, the object can become a joint between trolleys, trailers, mechanical devices and public transport vehicles.
Play/sport. It can be read as a play or sports item, like a skateboard, as equipment for physical exercise and at the same time as a transport trolley.