What are Mecanum Wheels and how do they work? Mecanum wheels, also known as omni wheels or ilon wheels, consist of a hub with rollers oriented 45° to the axis of rotation. Perfect for tight spaces, they enable conventional forward & backward movement as well as side to side and even rotation. To accomplish this, each wheel turns independently. To move side to side, pairs of wheels oppose one another, like a worm gear or screw.