Architecture & Environment

Pumplon wheel

Osmar Rodrigues

An all terrain wheel that minimises soil compaction and erosion.

Pumplon wheel is an off-road wheel that can change shape and dimension according to the terrain it faces. This allows the transport of people, agricultural crops and equipment across agricultural land, poor roads and dirt roads.

The wheel was developed by RCA Vehicle Design researcher Osmar Rodrigues as part of his PhD research into the problems and challenges facing sugar plantations in Brazil where 80 per cent of roads are classed as being in poor or bad condition.

With 85 developing countries around the world depending on road-based transportation for agriculture, but lacking the investment to repair the roads and make them easily passable, Pumplon wheel offers hope of affordable overland transport with faster, smoother, safer and more economical journeys.

The wheel has been designed to overcome obstacles, can be easily adapted for amphibian conditions and has been designed to have minimum impact (through low ground pressure) on the ground it covers, thus avoiding further erosion or compaction of plantations.

Patent protection has been applied for and the wheel is currently undergoing further testing and development in Brazil.

For further information contact InnovationRCA.