Airtrax Corporation has been granted patents for its revolutionary omni-wheel technology.

Airtrax vice-president and principal inventor Barney Harris said the patents, applied for in April 2000, were for a design that deviated from the irregular profile of other omni-directional wheels, which meant the vehicles had poor load capacity and instability at high speeds.

"Omni wheels incorporating Airtrax's patented technology will ride smoother and can therefore operate at higher speeds, (with) a far greater load capacity," Mr Harris said.

Airtrax president Peter Amico said the company was in the final development stages of its ATX Series omni-directional forklift, with prototypes currently in final testing. "The ATX-3000 will sell at prices very competitive with any forklift on the market today," he said.

A three-minute video showing the ATX-Series forklift in action can be seen at the Airtrax website.