Can these springs really passively get you +30% efficiency? What about weight? Cyclists are obsessive about reducing rotating mass, and these wheels seem to be seriously chunky.
Is this actually a thing that could work?
Those springs are then decompressed either into another spring inside the drum, or back into the wheel again.
if its option 1 where the springs we can see are decompressed into a central energy store, it might have some application for allow easy starting (ie you press a button and the wheel lets out all its stored energy and spins. taking you from 0-10mph)
If its option 2, then you are just making heat. the springs are compressing at the expense of forward momentum. when you roll forward not only do you have to overcome friction, but also compress a spring at the same time.
If you have another spring on the other side decompressing at the same time, then you get _some_ energy back, minus heat, losses in compressing the spring in the first place, and any other mechanical losses.
In short, its a recipe for a boat load of extra friction/rolling resistance. Which will slow you down.
Now let’s say you to take a step forward off that platform onto the apex of those two boards at the same time, pushing them down and lifting their ends. Do you have to expend any additional _forward momentum_ energy to take that step?
Now let’s say there was a big spring between the opposite ends of those two boards, and that spring just happened to compress at a weight a bit lower than force generated by you stepping onto the apex.
Now, imagine stepping off the apex. As you do, you feel the apex rise and push your leg off.
Now apply that mechanic around an axle, and use mechanics to ensure only the springs nearing the top of the axle (as it rotates) compress when downward force is applied to the axle itself. That’s as good as I can describe how I understand it, and I can’t see how it violates any physical laws. It’s just a clever use of springs.
Notice, however, that the springs are actually missing when they show this in the video! Couple that with the fact that he rotates the wheel by hand to a certain position before setting it down, and its evident that the rotation we see is just due to a very imbalanced wheel.
Plainly not true. If I cycle a 1 mile lap and come to a stop, I have put in lots of energy yet am in exactly the same position I started in.
Bicycling (and most forms of transport) are 100% losses when considered in an "energy in Vs energy out" way.