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Re-inventing the Screw-Propulsion Vehicle
Alexey Burdin has redesigned the "transformable worm" so that it is as fast as a normal vehicke, and can travel over land without tearing up the ground.
Alexey Burdin, Russia
Srew-propelled vehicles are nothing new; in fact they’ve been around for decades.
But they never really took off due to the fact they are normally slow, inefficient, and unable to travel over land without tearing it up. However they did have some advantages over their wheeled or tracked counterparts, the most important of which is the fact they can haul themselves through mud and bogs with relative ease, and when the land ends they can be driven over open water.
Russian inventor Alexey Burdin has come up with a screw-type propulsion system called "TESH-drive" which features all the benefits of screw-propulsion and less of the negatives, rekindling the hope that screw-propelled vehicles may one day become more popular for traversing difficult swampy terrain. The name "TESH-drive" was derived from Burdin's nickname for the concept which was "transformable worms," the reason why he used the term "transformable" is because the rotating screws can be altered to function on hard ground (including roads), soft wet ground or water.
To accomplish this, the TESH-drive features a strong inflatable rubber tube which wraps around the screw drive. On a real-size machine it's protected with Kevlar sleeve. When the tubing is inflated it forms a wheeling body enabling the vehicle to travel on hard surfaces at speeds similar to ordinary vehicles.
When the TESH-drive vehicle is being used on either soft ground or water the air is let out of the tube, therefore allowing the metal ridge of the screw to bite into the earth, or cut through deep snow or water, propelling the vehicle forward.
Thus the TESH-drive is also about maneuverability, able to move in two directions from the spot almost on any ground that neither wheel nor track can. Additionally if one or both of the tubes gets badly damaged and can't hold the air anymore, the screws can let the vehicle leave the dangerous zone and make its way to the safety. So some military application can also be considered apart form civil machines.
Also the TESH-concept is giving birth to a line of various toys. Burdin is currently negotiating a possibility with game-developers of appearing such futuristic machine in their on-going projects.
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