We were initially working on a project designing a simpler bike with fewer parts and lower maintainance. No spokes or cables was easy, no sprocket or chain was tougher, no grease seemed impossible... yet that was the goal. When we looked at existing options, we found several problems:

In conventional bearings, rollers, and/or retainers rub against each other, causing both friction and excessive wear.

Fig. 71

Conventional mechanics have parts, with very little contact that move against each other.>

All that grease and seals and maintainence and yet conventional mechanics still wears and fails. It puts limits on how and where it can be used and even what materials can be used

Conventional bearings are made precisely yet need space for grease so precise positioning/movement is impossible.

Discovered in 1967, the principle of overwrapping with tension to eliminate slip has been around for years. What was not known was how to apply this principle to continuous rotary motion.

Rolamite "boxed itself in" making the precision of parallel box sides critical as it oscillates only.

Rolamite graphic

NOTE: Rolamite is used in GM and Toyota air-bags and as a safety for the trigger on H-Bombs. Most other applications (switches etc.) are better handled by Mercury/Micro switches.

Scroller mechanics doesn't rub like roller mechanics, because the scrolling retaining belts move with the rollers, not against.

Scrolling rotary motion doesn't "box itself in" like the linear/oscillating rolamite does. Rolamite does share scrolling wrap and the low friction results, and so is perhaps a linear subset, a peek at what is now the broader, more detailed field of Scroller Mechanics.
(Link: Historical comparison)

Scroller mechanics is a new type of mechanics that doesn't need grease like traditional roller mechanics.

A cleaner, lube-free mechanics means cleaner machines, cleaner maintenance and a cleaner environment.