Michelin's Tire of the Future is Going to Revolutionize the Industry
The Engineering and Tech that went into making this airless, 3D Printed tire that never needs to be replaced is truly one of the best invention of the year.
Michelin has really gone all out and its idea might put all the other guys out of business or they're going to have to come up with something better pretty quick. These will without a doubt will cost a fortune but considering you they never need to be replaced and can be modified in a jiffy to suit any conditions.
The don't use air so they never go flat or lose pressure as the season change.
They are 3D printed and the treads can be reprinted easily for changing season or road conditions.
"This alveolar pattern, similar to the air sacks in the human lung, uses a rigid centre which branches out to thousands of increasingly larger chambers."
"It is 3D printed from recycled organic materials, including wood chips, straw, sugar byproducts, and orange peels.
This is covered in a thin layer of rubber which makes up the tyre's tread."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4610728/Michelin-unveils-airless-Vision-concept-tyres.html
They come with sensors that can detect and inform the driver when they need to be fixed.
Check out the promotional video. It's got potential.
Now I just need a car.
Sources and Credits
http://www.design-engineering.com/michelin-airless-tire-1004026880/
http://blog.caranddriver.com/michelin-reveals-another-airless-wheeltire-concept-but-this-one-is-biodegradable-and-3d-printed/
Wow, that is cool. I wonder how long it takes before they can produce them economically?
Not even a James Bond car can stop you if you have these tires :)
Alright well that looks like a cool tire!
I love the idea of being able to fix pieces of the car on the way by just printing what is needed :)
It certainly would make long distance travel a lot safer
At least from the material standpoint. The rest will be up to the driver :D
i wonder if they can be edible too... sadly they cant be used to give you oxygen underwater like how 007 uses them
If it is edible i bet it tastes like crap. Haha. Or maybe a salad ye, better dressing.
"wood chips, straw, sugar byproducts, and orange peels." well if they replace the straw with whole grain oats, and woodchips with veggie muscle i think overall it can be biodegradable and edible. Once your done with a tire, just throw it in the woods and the animals will help you recycle it. Otherwise someone can just chew on it for some calories. #Helpfeedthehomeless
I see they still need to be fixed from time to time...
I can't wait to see what becomes of them...
@pocketechange
Yea if they made a tire that never needed to be fixed they'd stop making money. Everything is made to be broken.
This is really cool
very interesting post, come to the market soon ?
look like only a conceptual design
It's a concept but it moving forward.
agree
I wonder if they'll ever let it happen. Firestone and Town Fair Tire and companies like that are probably lobbying to keep this off the market..
Haha. Probably cheaper than innovating a competitive product.
Cool! I need a set of these on my car, you know how most girls are with flat tires... helpless???
In this day and age so are most men. Lol