Israeli company SoftWheel is now all geared up to penetrate the automotive industry. It made a loud buzz worldwide after literally reinventing the wheel by replacing the traditional spoke-and-rim hub with an advanced automatic suspension system.
The company says that its Endurocar wheel will bring the same improvements to automobiles that it has already brought to bicycles and wheelchairs. One of these enhancements is putting a permanent end to flat tires, utilizing a rigid tire that is unfilled with air.
Speaking at the recently concluded AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., company CEO Daniel Barel said that the best way to transform the world is to revolutionize transportation. “No more flat tires, 20% more energy efficiency, better maneuverability, higher safety, lighter — better in every way.”
During the AIPAC event, SoftWheel’s technician and test-rider Yaron Cohen gave a demo on how their Acrobat wheelchair wheels enable descending stairs smoothly, with the shocks absorbed by the wheel hub rather than the chair. A veteran of the Israel Air Force, Cohen has been wheelchair-bound for the past 24 years after a car crash.
Barel added that in SoftWheel, they are all veterans, and veterans are dear to them. “For the past six months we were able to bring [our] wheelchairs to over 100 veterans in the US alone” through the nonprofit Indy Fund and the US Veterans Administration.”
He continued that SoftWheel’s Fluent wheel for bicycles, rolled out last year, is their clearest vision for the future of urban transportation. “Because the cushioning is inside the wheel and there is no air in the tire, that means no more flat tires on your bike.”
Integrated in 2011 with support from Rad-BioMed Technology Technology Accelerator and the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Economy, SoftWheel has distributor deals with Red One Medical Devices in Georgia, Da Vinci Mobility of the UK, and Living Spinal of California; and collaborates with Crawford Composites of North Carolina.
Barel concluded that they have seen huge demand beyond their wildest dreams.
Apart from its original location in Tel Aviv, SoftWheel inaugurated a plant in Charlotte, North Carolina and has another coming soon in the Czech Republic.
