McGill University researchers assumed lunar Rover wheeled single 'iRing' prototype

We have already seen the researchers at the University of Chicago and Cornell used coffee grounds to develop a completely different kind of robotic hand it seems that some people at McGill University in Montreal, Canada have also been taking a similar approach to literally re-inventing the wheel. It is being done as part of the Lunar Rover project light navigation (or LELR), which is able to navigate through difficult terrain (i.e., the surface of the Moon) regulations and easily to build to a lunar rover is light. One of the key aspects of, course are the wheels and the McGill researchers solution is something had called "iRing" - a wheel of a cloth type dimension of mesh and full of "particles granular matter" (or small pieces of metal). This creates a wheel that is heavy and strong enough to avoid bouncing around on the Moon, but still flexible enough to absorb shocks and overcome obstacles. Do you really end up on the Moon? That is yet to be seen, but researchers hope that the final prototype completed rover (which might even carry a crew) to be complete in the spring of 2012. Make sure you hit the link for better appearance in the rover video through.

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