Human powered MAGLEV propulsion - Your help requested!!

[Cloxxki]

Hi All,

I need your help to find out what material and how much of it is required to skate without a firm contact between skate frame/boot and the "tire/rim" member on the surface, to reduce frictions.

I am a cross-country skater and mountainbiker. I want to combine my 2 sports : skating offroad, but such a thing, despite the marketing only matched by permanent magnet motors, doesn't really exist.

Problem : wheels on skates need to be small, or numerous to work. There is NO sweet spot, even with suspension. Small wheels dig into the soil, get hung up behind every little marble or tree seed, but are light. Bike wheels roll great, but are impractical to have on one's feet, even from top materials, and still get hung up.

My ultimate solution (there were many half-azzed solutions before it):

MAGLEV skates.
As magnets facing the right way are rarely exactly placed where you want them such as with trains (fixed tracks are the boring thing about skiing imo) , the skates will need to be self-levitating.
No, I don't mean hovering.

I propose hub-less, tubular flexible tires, fitted with a "track" strip which goes through the skate frame. Like a caterpillar track vehicle. Cyclo-Cross bikes still often use ~30-35mm wide tubular tires, basically large toroids that are glued onto a stiff rim. I'd substitute a flexible rim, at least in the concentric plane. Tire would pass outside the shin.

Below the foot, the tire will have a ~45-50cm "long" ski-like interface shape with the soil : long and flat. Supported from above of course by a frame of these exact dimensions.

Advantage of such a long contact area:
- Less peak pressure on soil
- sinking in less deep in soft soil, gliding smoothly where wheels can't come, and even bikes dig in.
- reduced peak rolling resistance (getting hung up being something, especially an issue for most front "wheel".

Lots of rollers could and will be used to guide the "rim" on the tire through the frame, but dirt would make this a nightmare to operate.
Hence, Maglev. Surface could be kept smooth, and would be more easily kept clean enough for properly low friction. Brushes are surely a part of the idea, but would never manage to keep a roller-only bearing system going. We're going off-road, mostly fire road style trails.

I've read om the power of neodyniums, those seem to perform well.
I suppose the "rim" will need to be a magnet itself, to smoothen operation.

I'm open to using some for of pick-up coil to add electricity that will enhance the levitation, but ideally that would not be needed. It will required energy from the skater, after all. I'd liek to avoid batteries etc if I can.

Let's say the surface between the "rim" and the "frame" is 55cm long, roughly 3 cm wide. A few mm's of average levitation at 130kg of load will be necessary. Peak loads above that could be taken up by inevitable rollers.

But, is such a system doable? How much repulsion can one generate with a <300g magnetic "rim" strip 200cm long, flexible, and a ~60c string of neodyniums in the skate frame?

If this can be made to work, a new sport will come to exist. Skaters will less often take to the (busy) roads, and just enjoy nature skating in grace. Much like MTB'rs, just not looking for singletracks too much.

Thanks for you help!!!

I made an example picture, to see the proportions, using a 29" MTB innertube and my Skike skate frame. US13 sized running shoes. Dimensions are so promising for top-enjoyment skating, especially the ground surface and heel clearnace...a new sport, 100% with known XC skating movement.

Regards,

J

[t3t4]

Brilliant! It's the new roller blade.

Yes, this can be done and would work geometry wise to beat the common obstacles you described. This has serious potential!

Email me if you like, lets see how far we can take this..

t3t4

[Cloxxki]

Thanks! I just PM'd you.

It also just occured to me, that this funky setup would be crying for a non-human powered upgrade. Battery or whatever-powered maglev action to go faster. Like a 22nd century urban skate.
What's more...I was keeping in mind I'd need brakes. Friction is easiest to do, and really suffices on competing offering already. But then, why not used maglev resistance? The electricity gained could be used for brake lights.