TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES AND METHODS

摘要

There is provided, in a preferred embodiment, a transportation vehicle f or transporting an individual over ground having a surface that may be irregula r. This embodiment has a support for supporting the subject. A ground-contacting module, movably attached to the support, serves to suspend the subject in the suppor t over the surface. The orientation of the ground-contacting module defines fore-aft an d lateral planes intersecting one another at a vertical. The support and the ground- contacting module are components of an assembly. A motorized drive, mounted to the assembly and coupled to the ground-contacting module, causes locomotion of the assemb ly and the subject therewith over the surface. Finally, the embodiment has a control loop, in which the motorized drive is included, for dynamically enhancing stability in the fore-aft plane by operation of the motorized drive in connection with the ground-contacting module. The ground-contacting module may be realized as a pair of ground-contacting members, laterally disposed with respect to one another. The ground-contacting member may be wheels. Alternatively, each ground-contacting member may include a cluster o f wheels. In another embodiment, each ground-contacting member includes a pair of axially adjacent and rotatably mounted arcuate element pairs. Related methods are al so provided.