What price a pair of lunar wheels? Try $US11.5m.
At least, that is if the rover has been ordered by the Canadian Space Agency and you been tasked to tackle the terrain of the Moon and Mars.
It's a hefty chunk of GLXP prizemoney, but this $US11.5m rover has no ordinary wheels, either.
McGill University mechanical engineering professor Peter Radziszewski and his team plan to base the wheels on a model they're calling the "i-ring".
It's a fabric wheel filled with particulate and it's caught the eye of the CSA for its ability to help rovers climb obstacles larger than their individual wheels.
That also means it can travel at higher speeds than a rubber or pneumatic tyre, which bounce easily, or solid wheels, which can turn a rover over on impact.
The "bean-bag" wheels conform with shapes they come into contact with and have superior climbing ability, Prof Radziszewski said.
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