Safeway develops advanced mobility technologies and robotic platforms designed for real-world environments, including obstacle-overcoming mobility, autonomous navigation, and safety solutions.
ASCENDER ZERO™
The Wheel That Climbs by Itself.
ZERO POWER · ZERO ELECTRONICS · AUTOMATIC CLIMBING
A fully passive, auto-engaging climbing wheel module — no motors, no sensors, and no batteries.
5 in (125 mm)
STEP HEIGHT
Climbs steps up to 100% of its wheel radius.
110 lb (50 kg)
LOAD PER WHEEL
Supports 110 lb (50 kg) per wheel.
0 W
POWER REQUIRED
No motors, sensors, or batteries.
WHY ASCENDER ZERO™ ?
Mechanical Intelligence Inside the Wheel
Q1 · FLAT GROUND — THE PROBLEM
Q1 · FLAT GROUND — THE PROBLEM
A1 · FLAT GROUND — THE ZERO FIX
A1 · FLAT GROUND — THE ZERO FIX
Soft tires can deform too much.
Under weight, a soft tire flattens against the ground. Rolling turns heavy, wobbly, and inefficient.
The roller supports the tire from inside.
The internal roller holds the tire in its round shape. The wheel rolls smoothly instead of collapsing.
Q2 · AT A STEP — THE PROBLEM
Q2 · AT A STEP — THE PROBLEM
A2 · AT A STEP — THE FIX
A2 · AT A STEP — THE FIX
A fixed roller would create friction.
Bending around a step, the tire slides across the roller. That rubbing wastes the force needed to climb.
The roller spins with the wheel.
At the step, the clutch spins the roller with the wheel. No rubbing — every push goes into the climb.
SOFT WHEN IT NEEDS TO CLIMB.
SUPPORTED WHEN IT NEEDS TO ROLL.
LIGHT · RELIABLE · GO ANYWHERE
SPECIFICATIONS
Wheel
10-in class — Ø 9.8 in × 3.9 in width
Power
0 W — no motor, sensor, battery
Weight
under 3.3 lb (1.5 kg) per wheel
Service
tire swaps independently, basic tools
Load
110 lb (50 kg) per wheel · 440 lb on four
Targeted MSRP
$15/wheel · $30 kit(2) · $60 set(4)
Step height
100% of wheel radius — 5 in
FITS WHAT YOU PUSH
Wheelchairs
Strollers
Wagons
Hand trucks
Logistics carts
Delivery robots
ASCENDERZERO™
CORE MECHANISM — CRUISE → CLICK → CLIMB → CLEARED
01. CRUISE
01. CRUISE
02. CLICK
02. CLICK
Spring keeps the switch pressed; the roller is locked at ground contact - the tire rolls perfectly round.
The step deforms the tire. That pressure alone releases the switch - the pawl clicks into the one-way clutch.
03. CLIMB
03. CLIMB
04. CLEARED
04. CLEARED
Roller and wheel turn as one body, rising over the edge, while ratchet teeth block any rollback.
Over the step, the roller resets to ground contact by itself - no lever, no button, zero intervention.
Climbs steps up to 100% of wheel radius — 5 in (125 mm) · fully passive, zero electric power
FIVE SUBASSEMBLIES — NOTHING ELSE
1 Elastic airless tire
conforms to the step, carries the load
2 Movable support roller
backs the tire from inside
3 Spring-loaded switch
read by terrain pressure alone
4 Pawl
drops into the clutch on release
5 Central ratchet gear
one-way drive · rollback stop
ASCENDER ZERO One module — every pushed platform
The same climbing wheel, configured by diameter, axle interface, and load class. Concept renderings — design targets.
WHY IT MATTERS
Zero-interference roller
Once engaged, the roller turns with the wheel -never scraping the deformed tire.
The internal friction that defeats stabilized soft wheels is gone.
Built-in anti-rollback
While climbing, engaged
ratchet teeth mechanically block
reverse rotation — the wheel
holds every inch gained,
protecting rider and payload.
Automatic reset
After one revolution, or
when the tire recovers its shape,
the roller returns to ground
contact. No lever, no button,
nothing to remember.
Patent pending - two Korean applications protect the operating principle: terrain contact converted into mechanical state change.
One core mechanism - configurable diameter, tire, axle interface, and load class.
ASCENDER ZERO™
The wheel that climbs by itself. A fully passive, auto-engaging climbing wheel module — no motors, no sensors, no batteries.
