Not much has changed with the wheel since it got us moving millennia ago. It’s design in the simplest form: a rotating donut which adapts to do everything from power machinery to provide exercise for your kid’s overweight hamster.
Seeing as the invention has survived years without a lot of improvement, designer Andrea Mocellin has taken it upon himself to bring the wheel into the 21st century. Revolve, his latest creation, is a modular wheel he hopes will pave the way for a new line of portable vehicles.
Its operation is not unlike a bicycle or wheelchair wheel–it is a wheel after all. The primary difference is that when not in use, you can collapse the wheel on itself to make it more travel-sized.
Two handles located on the innermost portion of the Revolve lock and unlock it. While this might not seem like the safest method of securing a wheel meant to carry the weight of a person, Mocellin ensures it is as safe as safe can be.
The Revolve covers the universal wheel dimension of 26″ (665mm) when spread out and a dimension of 8.9″ (226mm) when folded. Apart from occupying less space (about 60%, to be precise) and becoming more travel-friendly, the closed wheel can change your conveyance to be used as a scooter or trolley, as it holds the same weight as the open version.
As for the wheel’s composition, the entire frame is made from aluminum and features an airless tire – so, whether riden, carried or used to defend yourself in a knife fight, that wheel won’t be going flat.
With aluminum as Revolve’s hub material, you have anodized color options to customize it according to your taste. Different colors of aluminum, stainless steel, carbon fiber, and plastic can be applied to the Revolve – though you wouldn’t want all of them on a single wheel.
As mentioned, Mocellin’s goal with the Revolve is to spur on a renaissance of foldable wheel vehicles which he hopes will make transportation a whole lot easier for people who can’t afford a car. A concept design for a 3-in-1 bike/scooter/trolley has been presented and looks like a product fit for globe trekkers, urban adventurers, or those who just want to have more transportation options.
Revolve’s webpage has more info on this modern take on a timeless invention. Our take? For an item such as a wheel where there doesn’t seem much more to innovate on, this wheel design brings some interesting applications to mind.
