The age of parallel parking may soon be over thanks to a literal reinvention of the wheel by Canadian man William Liddiard.

“True all-way drive for anything with wheels,” Liddiard says in an online writeup for his successful prototype of “omni-directional” wheels, a specialized rim and tire that can allow any car the ability to move sideways.

The tire is rounded like a donut and sits within a specialized roller-equipped rim that can move the tire horizontally. The result is a wheel that can allow any car to “crab” side to side.

“This is a world first bolt-on application for anything with wheels,” wrote Liddiard. ‘Now you can drive in all directions, and turn on the spot, when needed.”

The London, Ont., inventor exhibited the technology in a YouTube video that has since captured the attention of auto aficionados the world over, garnering more than 1.1 million views.

Entitled “you’ve never seen a car do this…,” the three minute video shows a Toyota Echo sliding around an Ontario driveway as if on a block of ice.

One source described the car as “moonwalking” across the pavement.

The wheels are merely a “proof of concept” prototype, but Liddiard asserts that his design would allow them to be made as durable and safe as standard automotive wheels.

The omni-directional wheel is not a new invention, but it has typically been used only in wheelchairs, robotics and other small-scale applications. Honda Motor Co. did debut an omni-directional wheel at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, but it was as part of a small, Segway-style personal mobility device.

“My wheel can hold ten times more than the other (wheels), while maintaining speed,” Liddiard told Postmedia in an interview earlier this year.