Khaled Elnaggar and Helmy El Aassar of Cairo are patenting a “never stuck”
vehicle (WO 00/35688). They know that cars can get stuck in sand because they
are too light or too heavy, or because dunes pile up in front of the wheels.
Their vehicle has a hydraulic pump that rams a piston up and down on the
vehicle’s suspension. This bounces the vehicle while the driver tries to “rev”
it free. If this fails, a vacuum nozzle sucks sand from in front of the wheels
and blasts it out at the back.
Technology
Bouncy motor
By Barry Fox
29 July 2000
