Michelin unveils concept tyres that you NEVER have to pump up and they are impervious to flats: Airless design comes wrapped in ‘rechargeable’ 3D-printed treads.
Tyres use an alveolar design similar to the air sacks in the human lung, they are 3D printed from recycled biodegradable organic materials. A thin layer of rubber over the organic material makes up the tyre’s tread, customers can book in to top up the tread when needed using an app. Sensors monitor the tyre’s condition and notify you when they need changing.
Cars of the future could be equipped with 3D printed smart tyres that can tell you when they need changing, if a concept unveiled by Michelin becomes a reality.
The Vision project created an all-in-one tyre and wheel made from biodegradable materials, coated in rubber tread that can be topped up when the tyre wears down.
The tyre’s airless design, which is inspired by nature, would also make them impervious to flats and blowouts.
The French firm unveiled the unique design at the 2017 Movin’ On conference being held in Montreal this week. The inner design of the tyre is modelled on nature, using a honeycomb-like structure to give it strength. 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… [click here to read the full article]
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