The Omni-Directional wheel was originally patented by a Swedish inventor and sold to an American corporation.The patent was purchased by the US Navy and the technology was advanced for proposed material handling on ships during the 1980"s and early 1990"s.ln 1996 the Navy transferred this technology to Airtrax for commercialization through a Cooperative Research and development Agreement(CRADA).Since then Airtrax examind tested and redesigned every facet of the system.Using new ideas and technology,Airtrax has engineered commercial vehicles that are both practical and economical making Omni-directional products commercially viable for the first time.