James Bruton Reinvents the Wheel, Literally

Parallel parking would be a whole lot easier if cars could slide sideways into a parking space. Of course, normal wheels don't work that way. But that didn't stop robotics enthusiast James Bruton from building a vehicle that can do exactly that. His latest creation is a rideable, self-driving electric car that can move in any direction without turning.

The secret is an unusual set of wheels inspired by research from Osaka University. Instead of using conventional tires or standard omnidirectional wheels, Bruton built four large ball-wheels, each consisting of two hemispheres mounted on a T-shaped axle. The hemispheres are driven together in one direction but can roll freely in the perpendicular direction. With all four wheels mounted at 45-degree angles around the chassis, the vehicle can move forward, backward, sideways, diagonally, or rotate on the spot.

To make the wheels, Bruton used a CNC machine to cut plywood into interlocking pieces, assembling 14 vertical ribs and several horizontal layers to form each hemisphere. He then added rubberized edging for traction and 3D-printed domes to complete the rounded shape. Small skateboard wheels hidden inside the tips allow the hemispheres to roll smoothly even when the vehicle's weight rests on their ends.

The chassis and wheel axles are constructed from aluminum extrusions, with heavy-duty bearings supporting the hemispheres. Four ODrive S1 motor kits, each rated at 2 kW, drive the wheels through two-stage belt reductions. Magnetic encoders provide feedback for precise motor control, allowing the wheels to work together to produce the desired movement.

At the core of the electronics is Arduino's new VENTUNO Q development board, which combines an STM32 microcontroller with a Qualcomm-powered Linux computer. The board is equipped with an octa-core processor, 16 GB of RAM, and an NPU capable of 40 TOPS of AI performance.

The STM32 handles lower-level tasks, like reading a three-axis joystick and communicating with the motor controllers over the CAN bus. The Linux side runs ROS 2, which gives the vehicle the ability to navigate autonomously rather than relying entirely on manual control.

To see where it's going, the car uses two RPLIDAR S3 sensors mounted at opposite corners of the chassis. These provide 360-degree coverage, allowing ROS 2's SLAM software to build a map of the surroundings. The navigation stack then uses that map to plan routes around obstacles and drive toward selected destinations.

Four 6S LiPo battery packs supply 50 volts to the motors, and a heavy-duty contactor and emergency stop button provide some important safety measures.

Bruton's unusual vehicle is a great example of how creative engineering can challenge something as fundamental as the way a car moves. It may never be practical for everyday transportation, but the ability to drive in any direction opens up some interesting possibilities. And if nothing else, it would certainly make parallel parking a lot simpler.