Sun Pablo

Concept 3 of 3

Beach house on wheeled legs

Telescopic hydraulic legs with forwarder-type tandem bogies — 8 wheels, 2 per leg

  • 8wheels, 2 per leg
  • ≈21.8 toperating mass
  • 1.5 mleg stroke
Visualisation: on the beach at sunset
Visualisation: on the beach at sunset

About the concept

A beach house that drives rather than walks: a geodesic dome on a rigid square chassis with four vertical telescopic hydraulic legs (1.5 m stroke). Each leg carries a forwarder-type tandem bogie with two Nokian 710/45-26.5 forestry tyres in line (1470 mm wheelbase) on a slewing steering drive — 8 wheels in total, 2 per leg — enabling crab steering and turning in place. The legs level the floor on a slope and lift the house above the tide; an electric scissor ladder folds under the floor, and when parked the house rests on four outriggers.

Documentation

ENPDF (EN) — English6.4 MBRUPDF (RU) — Russian6.4 MB

All calculations are conceptual, without FEM strength analysis.

Key specifications

BodyGeodesic dome 3V: sphere Ø 6.0 m, base Ø 5.9 m (dome truncated at 5/8), panoramic glazing ±110°; platform Ø 6.6 m — ring overhang of the platform with railing (≈0.3 m from dome to railing)
TerraceA full terrace 0.8–1.0 m wide (platform Ø 7.6–8.0 m) is an option under development
ChassisWelded square frame 5.2 × 5.2 m
Legs4 vertical telescopic legs, hydraulic cylinder Ø 100/80, 1.5 m stroke; 10 mm/s, full stroke in 150 s
Wheels8 wheels, 2 per leg: 4 forwarder-type tandem bogies (1470 mm wheelbase), 8 × Nokian Forest King F2 710/45-26.5
Floor above ground2.38 m travelling, up to 3.88 m with legs extended
Overall height5.94 m / 7.44 m
Mass≈21.8 t operating with 4 people; ≈21.5 t structure with interior
Traction drive4 hydraulic motors (one per bogie) → planetary gearbox i = 80 with brake → chains
SpeedCreep 0.5 m/min; working 3 m/min on sand; up to 6 m/min on firm ground
Steering4 slewing drives, −100…+100°: Ackermann, crab up to 90°, turn in place
Hydraulic power unitLS pump 45 cm³ (67 l/min), 15 kW electric motor
Ground pressure≈170–190 kPa (tyres at 1.4–1.6 bar)
Parking4 outriggers with 900 × 900 mm pads; wheels unloaded
Static tip-over angle51° travelling, 42° with legs extended
Energy≈0.9 kWh per 100 m on firm level ground; ≈5 kWh per 100 m on soft sand, 10% uphill
EntranceElectric scissor ladder, 12 steps, rise 2.0–3.9 m, deploys in ≈13 s

* All calculations are conceptual, without FEM strength analysis.

Layout

The homes are fully livable: a living room with a view, kitchen, bathroom with shower, bedroom and a technical niche (water tanks, boiler, 16 kWh LiFePO4 batteries, 6 kW inverter).

Rooftop solar: flexible modules on the south-facing facets of the dome, 1.5–2.3 kWp, ≈6–9 kWh per day.

Conceptual estimate. Drawings are labelled in Russian.

  • 24 m²net floor area
  • 1.5–2.3 kWprooftop solar
  • ≈6–9 kWhper day (annual average)
Floor plan, Concept 3: dome Ø 6.0 m with a ring overhang of the platform and railing
Floor plan, Concept 3: dome Ø 6.0 m with a ring overhang of the platform and railing
Roof, view from above: flexible solar modules on the dome facets (Concepts 1 and 3)
Roof, view from above: flexible solar modules on the dome facets (Concepts 1 and 3)
PDFFloor plans and rooftop solar — PDF (RU)3.2 MBDXFFloor plan — DXF133 KBDXFRoof solar layout — DXF85 KB

Motion

Driving onto a beach with a 10% slope at the working speed of 3 m/min on sand (sped up ×20 on screen), then levelling, outriggers and the scissor ladder.Animation of the CAD model based on calculated kinematics, sped up (factor shown in frame). On-screen labels are in Russian.HDHD video (1280 × 720, MP4)5.2 MB
Floor height change from 2.38 to 3.88 m: the legs extend at 10 mm/s, a full stroke in 150 s (sped up ×25 on screen); seamless loop.Animation of the CAD model based on calculated kinematics, sped up (factor shown in frame). On-screen labels are in Russian.HDHD video (1280 × 720, MP4)2.4 MB

Visualisations

Visualisation: legs extended above the tide Visualisation: interior with panoramic glazing

Renders and diagrams

Travelling: legs retracted Parked on the beach, 10% slope with a hump and a hollow: floor levelled Parked on a slope: view from the sea Legs fully extended (+1.5 m): house above the tide Leg assembly: telescope, cylinder, steering slewing drive, forwarder-type tandem bogie Parked: outrigger on its pad, both bogie tyres unloaded Hydraulic circuit Steering modes Ground pressure and traction Stability Electric scissor ladder deployed to the sand (10% slope) Ladder folded under the floor (travelling), view from below

Photorealistic images are concept visualisations; technical images are FreeCAD model renders and calculation diagrams.

Interested in the project or want to collaborate?

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