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This design is out of this world! Well, it definitely is for out of this world. About a year ago, Russian designer Andrew Fabishevskiy came up with a concept of a lunar rover that was unlike usual rover designs been used do far and more like a motorcycle. Now, Hookie Co. have actually brought it to life with a rover built around Cake drivetrain. The Moon motorcycle was conceived in Moscow, built in Dresden and will be at display at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles. (Source: Bikeexif)
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Bikeexif quotes Hookie Co. founder Nico Müller: “I saw Andrew’s concept sketch and was hooked immediately. After some calls we got his approval to build this amazing machine. Andrew’s renderings weren’t detailed and true to scale, so the design process began using Autodesk Fusion 360, and we engineered the whole Tardigrade from scratch.” (Source: Bikeexif)
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The digital engineering alone took almost six months; Hookie reworked, rethought, and developed every part on the bike from the ground up. It was the German company’s first project where they designed everything in-house. Overall, it took Hookie nine months from a sketch to the finished bike, underwritten with financial support from Puraglobe Syntainics. (Source: Bikeexif)
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Müller and his team partnered with the Swedish electric brand CAKE on a previous project based on the Ösa+ and Ösa Lite, called the Hookie ANT. They decided to keep the partnership flowing by incorporating CAKE’s drivetrain, wiring loop, battery, and two hubs for the Tardigrade’s wheels. (Source: Bikeexif)
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The CAKE hubs are CNC machined from 7075 aircraft aluminum for 32 straight-pull spokes, and stainless steel SKF cartridge bearings. The tyres were another challenge altogether: “We spoke with two companies about creating big thermoplastic polyurethane prints,” Müller says. “Everyone liked the idea but nobody wanted to produce it for us.” (Source: Bikeexif)
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“The engine needed to be protected, and the solution was a Kevlar fabric which is inherently heat- and flame-resistant, and shields the engine from debris or other mechanical damage," ays Dr Yves Bader, DuPont’s Development Manager for Mechanical Protection and Consumer Apparel in Meyrin, Switzerland. (Source: Bikeexif)
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With Bader’s experience in consumer apparel, including protective motorcycle gear, he also assisted in creating wearables fit for the lunar surface. Hookie ran several tests until they landed on a functional solution, but intend to dedicate more time toward fine-tuning the setup for optimal lunar travel conditions. (Source: Bikeexif) Time will tell if we'll see Tardigrade or something like it go to the Moon, especially since NASA did almost send a lunar dirt bike to the Moon once.
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