Raphael Thys
The much-hyped airless tire technology developed by NASA for its rovers, later commercialized for terrestrial use by The SMART Tire Company (STC), is now available for sale.
According to a Kickstarter campaign, the SMART METL tires designed for bikes have minimal rolling resistance (less labor for you), require no air pressure, ride smoothly like pneumatic tires, and last the lifetime of your vehicle. They also look exceptionally stylish as well.
The model won two innovation awards at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas as Honorees in two categories: Vehicle Tech & Advanced Mobility and Sustainability, Eco-Design & Smart Energy.
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"We're building a bicycle tire first because it allows us to build core capabilities and put an extremely cool product in people's hands more quickly, Brian Yennie, Co-Founder of STC, said.
Right now, the firm will sell road/gravel tires in size options of 700 x 32c, 35c, and 38c for this commercial launch of the technology. According to the manufacturer, the 35c model weighs 450 grams (16 oz), which is in the center of the weight range for pneumatic tires of similar size.
Practical and sustianable
The fundamentally unsustainable tire industry's sustainability and increased road safety are the firm's two critical objectives behind introducing puncture-less tires in the market. The company was conceived in 2020 as part of the FedTech NASA Startup Program.
The NASA Glenn Research Center and SMART collaborated to create the METL tire for the agency's Space Act Agreement startup program. The two companies made tires employing memory metals that might withstand the extreme conditions of space. According to SMART, the outcome is a tire that is impervious to punctures and has a long lifespan.
Based on NASA's shape memory alloy (SMA) technology, each METL tire has a central spring that wraps around the tire like a "slinky". That spring is composed of NiTinol, a nickel-titanium alloy with a form memory characterized as elastic and strong like rubber.
It's significant to note that when NiTinol is put under strain, it initially deforms before returning to its previous shape. Due to this property, the Metl tire can softly compress and rebound, offering a comfortable ride similar to a pneumatic tire.
The tire's removable tread and sidewalls are poly-rubber, which encases the spring. The manufacturer claims this system uses only half as much rubber as a typical tire. Additionally, the primary tire should endure the bike's lifetime, even if the tread may need to be replaced every 5,000 to 8,000 miles (8,047 to 12,875 km).