These Airless SMART Tires Could Change the Way We Drive Forever

Amaze Lab

This tire might kind of look like an ole-timey covered wagon wheel, but it’s actually quite the opposite. This is the tire recently unveiled by the SMART Tire Company, something they say could change the way we drive.

Transcript

00:00 [Music]

00:03 This tire might kind of look like an old-timey covered wagon wheel,

00:06 but it's actually quite the opposite.

00:08 This is the tire recently unveiled by the Smart Tire Company,

00:11 something they say could change the way we drive.

00:14 The wheel was designed after the ones used on the first lunar rover,

00:17 and it doesn't need any air.

00:19 That means punctures could soon be a thing of the past.

00:21 But what's really revolutionary is what it's made of.

00:24 Here's co-founder and CEO of the company, Earl Cole, to explain.

00:27 What makes shape memory alloy so special is it's like a super elastic material.

00:33 It's a very flexible lightweight metal that's elastic like rubber,

00:38 but strong like titanium.

00:39 So you can actually deflect a tire way down to the rim,

00:43 and it would just always bounce back to its original shape.

00:46 And that's an important thing to note,

00:47 is car manufacturing shifts towards the electric market.

00:50 Because of their heavy batteries, electric vehicles are heavier,

00:52 meaning they need stronger wheels that won't wear out as quickly.

00:55 And this new kind of tire could be a boon to sustainability in that regard,

00:59 as car tires are a leading cause of microplastic pollution.

01:02 The Smart Tire Company is looking to release a version of it for bikes next year,

01:06 with another larger set to be installed on the next lunar rover,

01:09 which will carry astronauts around the moon once again,

01:11 as part of the Artemis V mission.

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