This design involves springs connecting the 8 panels of the wheel to the central point. These springs allow the wheel to fold itself around obstacles. The springs also act as shock absorbers, decreasing the stress experienced by the rover when it drops down from the sky crane. The treads of this design are hollowed out, allowing the rover to shovel sand out of the way by spinning its wheels. This can help the rover if it is stuck in sandy terrain. The panels are constructed using a titanium alloy which helps increase the durability of the wheels. Since the individual panels of the wheels are not connected to each other and are only connected to a central point, the wheels is not rigid and can adapt to the different structure of the ground it is traveling on.
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