There seems to be a small community of DIY vehicle builders, but they tend to stick to forums and such. I think because of liability issues (and rules for cars are pretty strict as they are), there isn't a lot of sharing between builders beyond the basic frame
I don't know how reliable things like CANpie or Can4linux are (Controller Area Network or CAN used for internal systems communication in vehicles, and these are open source)
Even though I've seen NASA use it since I was a kid, what really took my imagination in the direction of the Rocker Bogie, is Simon Stålenhag's excellent artwork
First, it was this one called "Missing Person"
Looks like the interior of this style of vehicle is a cross between camper, research lab, and transport
Although the front is hard to see, it's well lit inside and seems spacious
Yeah, if I'm ever building a vehicle to carry me through an apocalyptic environment, it would definitely be a Simon Stålenhag inspired rocker bogie type
It occurs to me that a typical washing machine has a powerful enough motor that can be adapted as an in-wheel motor
They're quite powerful, usually efficient, and flat enough that they fit in the wheel width
The coil stator doesn't bear any kind of static load from the vehicle so it can be mounted on the axle. The magnet hub can be attached to the wheel, but without bearing any load either. Also, these are designed to handle vibration by necessity, but a rocker bogie will experience less of it
@cypnk The fact that there is a streetlight in a picture is what really makes this picture unrealistic to me.
In Sweden, you definitely wouldn't need these kinds of vehicles anywhere near a streetlight.
@cypnk why the hell is it moving sideways..
@jasper To reduce the influence of the magnetic field at higher speeds. Since the magnets are of a fixed strength, the stator is moved instead. I think Tesla electric motors avoid this by using only electromagnets
This is a good paper on variable field permanent magnet motors
I had a look at the control board when our machine died a few months ago, all it had was a ARM cotrex M3 microprocessor, a few mosfets and relays and a couple sensors
it feels almost insulting to pay so much for what is essentially a glorified arduino
@cypnk I wonder if it would be efficient to salvage such motor and make a wind (or water) turbine out of it.
@Xipiryon This person did exactly that ;)
@Xipiryon This is an even better video demonstrating how to wire such a motor and turn into a turbine power source :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeK_j_HBB-w
He's since used the same vehicle design several times in other artwork. Each one is eerily beautiful in a hauntingly post-apocalyptic way