One-Legged Hopping Tank

By John Farrier in Weapons & War on Aug 20, 2009 at 3:39 pm

This design, patented in 1945 by Henry Wallace, never made it into mass production (or, I suspect, even a prototype). Odd, that. From the text of the patent:

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a tank having an extensible leg capable of imparting a series of vertical oscillations to the tank, and having means to vary the angle of inclination of the leg to obtain directional movement of the tank.

Another of the objects of the invention is to provide a tank which is adapted to traverse difficult terrain.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a tank which is propelled in such a manner that its progress is intermittent, thereby rendering it a difficult target. Still another object is to provide a tank provided with means whereby the direction of its course may be rapidly changed, thereby rendering it a difficult target.

Link via Boing Boing


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  1. T.BoP
    Aug 20th, 2009 at 3:47 pm

    “Link from Boing-boing” how appropriate! :-D

  2. Foreigner1
    Aug 20th, 2009 at 3:53 pm

    And how long would any crew have gotten to practise to hit any target….?

  3. horned_one24
    Aug 20th, 2009 at 4:44 pm

    I beat this tank in the last stage of Sonic the hedge hog on Game Gear.


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