Serpo
13th June 2013, 03:48 PM
Skateboarder raises $30,000 in 10 days to produce cube-shaped wheels he claims are faster and provide better handling
'Shark Wheels' are made of three, helical-shaped strips that, when rolling, form a sine wave pattern when they make contact with the ground
The inventor of the Shark Wheel says he came up with the idea accidentally
The company already has raised more than $30,000 and plans to start mass-producing the wheels soon
By Daily Mail Reporter (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Daily+Mail+Reporter)
PUBLISHED: 02:17 GMT, 13 June 2013 | UPDATED: 06:14 GMT, 13 June 2013
(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2340719/The-wheel-reinvented-Skateboarder-raises-30-000-10-days-produce-cube-shaped-wheels-claims-faster-provide-better-handling.html#socialLinks)
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A company called 4Sphere is putting a new - pardon the pun - spin on a 5,500-year-old classic: the wheel.
Wheels, as most everyone knows, are round. But not 4Sphere's Shark Wheel - rather, a Shark Wheel, designed for skateboards, is formed around a cubed center, which its inventor claims allows it to ride faster and smoother than your traditional round skateboard wheel.
In other words, the company has literally reinvented the wheel.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-0-1A4A17E3000005DC-475_634x436.jpg Behold! The wheel - reinvented
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-2340719-1A4A17FA000005DC-856_634x286.jpg Shark Wheels
'When used on hard surfaces, the Shark Wheel produces a low friction profile similar to a high performance, low rolling resistance tire,' the company says on its Kickstarter page. 'This allows for less energy to be used as the contact patch is very small. Conversely, a wheel that would normally work well as a low resistance wheel would perform poorly in something like soft sand.'
Shark Wheels are made up of three, helical-shaped strips that, when rolling, form a sine wave pattern when they make contact with the ground.
This pattern allows the wheel to roll faster than a traditional round wheel, the company claims, and provides better handling on rough, wet terrain.
Shark Wheel literally reinvents the wheel for skateboards
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/12/video-undefined-1A47F835000005DC-124_290x163.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-0-1A4A1D7E000005DC-461_634x461.jpg The man who reinvented the wheel: David Patrick says he's been an avid skateboarder all his life
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-0-1A4A1DF2000005DC-575_634x458.jpg 'It kept on going': Patrick says he dropped this 'rectangle' accidentally and noticed that it rolled
'When encountering soft surfaces, the patented design of the Shark Wheel produces a much wider, high friction profile which creates a wide surface area and unsurpassed grip, the company says. 'This ability to travel on soft surfaces is very similar to the way a sidewinder snake moves through the sand.'
Shark Wheel inventor David Patrick says he got the idea for the wheel when he used six different shapes to form a perfect cube. He dropped the cube accidentally and it rolled.
'Not only did it roll,' he says in a promotional video for the Shark Wheel, 'it kept on going. The helix shape of it was perfectly balanced so no matter what the terrain, it kept on going.'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-0-1A4A17DA000005DC-62_634x478.jpg Shark Wheels
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-0-1A4A1F9A000005DC-417_634x452.jpg Lame: round wheels are sooo 3000 B.C.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-2340719-1A4AD073000005DC-465_634x506.jpg Sidewinder: Patrick says the Shark Wheel works similar to how a 'sidewinder snake moves through the sand'
The company recently started a campaign on Kickstarter - an online fundraising website where the general public can contribute money to creative ideas - that already has garnered more than $30,000 in 10 days.
The company's initial fundraising goal was $10,000.
Patrick says the company already has plans for the wheel designed and tested. He says it will use the money from Kickstarter to start mass-producing the square-shaped wheels soon.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2340719/The-wheel-reinvented-Skateboarder-raises-30-000-10-days-produce-cube-shaped-wheels-claims-faster-provide-better-handling.html#ixzz2W8S3ghz3
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2340719/The-wheel-reinvented-Skateboarder-raises-30-000-10-days-produce-cube-shaped-wheels-claims-faster-provide-better-handling.html
'Shark Wheels' are made of three, helical-shaped strips that, when rolling, form a sine wave pattern when they make contact with the ground
The inventor of the Shark Wheel says he came up with the idea accidentally
The company already has raised more than $30,000 and plans to start mass-producing the wheels soon
By Daily Mail Reporter (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Daily+Mail+Reporter)
PUBLISHED: 02:17 GMT, 13 June 2013 | UPDATED: 06:14 GMT, 13 June 2013
(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2340719/The-wheel-reinvented-Skateboarder-raises-30-000-10-days-produce-cube-shaped-wheels-claims-faster-provide-better-handling.html#socialLinks)
318 shares
36
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comments
(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2340719/The-wheel-reinvented-Skateboarder-raises-30-000-10-days-produce-cube-shaped-wheels-claims-faster-provide-better-handling.html#comments)
A company called 4Sphere is putting a new - pardon the pun - spin on a 5,500-year-old classic: the wheel.
Wheels, as most everyone knows, are round. But not 4Sphere's Shark Wheel - rather, a Shark Wheel, designed for skateboards, is formed around a cubed center, which its inventor claims allows it to ride faster and smoother than your traditional round skateboard wheel.
In other words, the company has literally reinvented the wheel.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-0-1A4A17E3000005DC-475_634x436.jpg Behold! The wheel - reinvented
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-2340719-1A4A17FA000005DC-856_634x286.jpg Shark Wheels
'When used on hard surfaces, the Shark Wheel produces a low friction profile similar to a high performance, low rolling resistance tire,' the company says on its Kickstarter page. 'This allows for less energy to be used as the contact patch is very small. Conversely, a wheel that would normally work well as a low resistance wheel would perform poorly in something like soft sand.'
Shark Wheels are made up of three, helical-shaped strips that, when rolling, form a sine wave pattern when they make contact with the ground.
This pattern allows the wheel to roll faster than a traditional round wheel, the company claims, and provides better handling on rough, wet terrain.
Shark Wheel literally reinvents the wheel for skateboards
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/12/video-undefined-1A47F835000005DC-124_290x163.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-0-1A4A1D7E000005DC-461_634x461.jpg The man who reinvented the wheel: David Patrick says he's been an avid skateboarder all his life
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-0-1A4A1DF2000005DC-575_634x458.jpg 'It kept on going': Patrick says he dropped this 'rectangle' accidentally and noticed that it rolled
'When encountering soft surfaces, the patented design of the Shark Wheel produces a much wider, high friction profile which creates a wide surface area and unsurpassed grip, the company says. 'This ability to travel on soft surfaces is very similar to the way a sidewinder snake moves through the sand.'
Shark Wheel inventor David Patrick says he got the idea for the wheel when he used six different shapes to form a perfect cube. He dropped the cube accidentally and it rolled.
'Not only did it roll,' he says in a promotional video for the Shark Wheel, 'it kept on going. The helix shape of it was perfectly balanced so no matter what the terrain, it kept on going.'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-0-1A4A17DA000005DC-62_634x478.jpg Shark Wheels
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-0-1A4A1F9A000005DC-417_634x452.jpg Lame: round wheels are sooo 3000 B.C.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/06/13/article-2340719-1A4AD073000005DC-465_634x506.jpg Sidewinder: Patrick says the Shark Wheel works similar to how a 'sidewinder snake moves through the sand'
The company recently started a campaign on Kickstarter - an online fundraising website where the general public can contribute money to creative ideas - that already has garnered more than $30,000 in 10 days.
The company's initial fundraising goal was $10,000.
Patrick says the company already has plans for the wheel designed and tested. He says it will use the money from Kickstarter to start mass-producing the square-shaped wheels soon.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2340719/The-wheel-reinvented-Skateboarder-raises-30-000-10-days-produce-cube-shaped-wheels-claims-faster-provide-better-handling.html#ixzz2W8S3ghz3
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter (http://ec.tynt.com/b/rw?id=bBOTTqvd0r3Pooab7jrHcU&u=MailOnline) | DailyMail on Facebook (http://ec.tynt.com/b/rf?id=bBOTTqvd0r3Pooab7jrHcU&u=DailyMail)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2340719/The-wheel-reinvented-Skateboarder-raises-30-000-10-days-produce-cube-shaped-wheels-claims-faster-provide-better-handling.html