Michelin, fabricante de neum\u00e1ticos de 128 a\u00f1os con sede en Clermont-Ferrand, Francia, recientemente dio a conocer un concepto de neum\u00e1tico producido por impresi\u00f3n 3D que podr\u00eda ser ideal para los veh\u00edculos aut\u00f3nomos del futuro. S\u00f3lo tiene que averiguar primero c\u00f3mo fabricarlos.\u00a0Denominados “Visi\u00f3n”, son esponjas con la estructura de una tela de ara\u00f1a e impresos con materiales de origen biol\u00f3gico y tambi\u00e9n biodegradables, incluyendo caucho natural, bamb\u00fa, papel, latas, madera, residuos electr\u00f3nicos y de pl\u00e1stico, heno, virutas del neum\u00e1tico, metales usados, tela, cart\u00f3n, melazas y hasta c\u00e1scara de naranja y con sensores conectados al veh\u00edculo.<\/p>\n
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They\u2019re completely airless, last virtually forever, and could be the perfect tire for our autonomous future. Michelin, the 128-year-old tire manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand, France, recently unveiled a 3D-printed tire concept that it says could be the ideal ride for self-driving cars. It just needs to figure out how to actually manufacture them first.<\/p>\n
Dubbed \u201cVision,\u201d these spidery, psychedelic-looking sponges are printed from bio-sourced and biodegradable materials, including natural rubber, bamboo, paper, tin cans, wood, electronic and plastic waste, hay, tire chips, used metals, cloth, cardboard, molasses, and orange zest.<\/p>\n
While it may sound like Michelin is rooting through your compost pile to come up with its futuristic concept, there\u2019s more to it than that. These tires would be embedded with RFID sensors to collect data and predict performance and function of the vehicle. And they will be adaptive to different conditions. Heading to the mountains for some skiing? Drive through a Michelin printing station and get your tires retrofitted for snowy terrain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis concept vision is a dream for an ideal solution for the long-term,\u201d said Terry Gettys, Michelin\u2019s executive VP for research and development. \u201cWe\u2019re confident you can replace a tire-and-wheel-combination with a unique structure, carry the load, provide good comfort and noise, and we\u2019re very encouraged that can be the solution of the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
If cars become fully autonomous, then the traditional design language that has held up for decades goes out the window. Engineers and automakers are already beginning to rethink the vehicle\u2019s interior, removing steering wheels, adding bookshelves, and positioning car seats to face one another. Rather than be left behind, Michelin is contributing to this effort through its reinvention of its tires, both in form and function.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs vehicles become more automated, the requirements for handling and driving pleasure are greatly diminished,\u201d Gettys said. \u201cIn fact the passengers when they turn over the driving to the car, they don\u2019t even care about the handling feel. And as such, there\u2019s going to be a huge shift in customer expectations toward comfort and noise.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued, \u201cThey\u2019ll want to enter the vehicle like a cocoon and have a very pleasurable experience getting to their destination, but that pleasure coming from using their telephone, their PC, discussing, and being totally oblivious to the distractions outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
The concept of \u201cair-free\u201d tires isn\u2019t new. Bridgestone has been playing around with\u00a0the idea since 2013<\/a>, when it unveiled its first air-free concept for tiny, smart-car sized vehicles. It was a bid to reduce the need for drivers to pull to the side of the road to fix flat tires, as well as reduce CO2 emissions and create a more sustainable drive. Recently, it began\u00a0testing airless bicycle tires<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Vision tire first debuted at the company\u2019s Movin\u2019 On conference in Montreal earlier this year. Michelin then brought samples of the 3D-printed tire to New York City in early August for more exposure. But a brief trip through the 128-year-old company\u2019s history reveals that this isn\u2019t Michelin\u2019s first rimless, airless tire to be released. The Tweel, an airless tire concept that emerged over a decade ago, is currently in use in small-frame, low-speed vehicles and appliances like golf carts and lawn mowers.<\/p>\n The limited application of the Tweel hints at the challenges Michelin will face in mass producing its 3D-printed concept. \u201cIt\u2019s really not an existing product,\u201d Gettys said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have all the materials to make this work.\u201d<\/p>\n So what\u2019s missing? Michelin already manufactures tires with embedded RFID sensors for groups like the Porsche Club and truckers, allowing for the monitoring of things like temperature and pressure. So connected tires won\u2019t be too difficult, Gettys said. The long-term challenges relates to printing the entire material structure from biodegradable materials like sugar stalks and orange zest. That will require much further research, he admits. But Michelin is working with a number of external partners and predicts being able to entire into production by 2023.<\/p>\n It\u2019s admirable pursuit, and a sustainable one too. Currently, over 70 percent of tires produced globally are made from non-biodegradable materials. (Just think of the\u00a0eternal burning tire pile<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0The Simpsons<\/em>.) Natural rubber is replenishable, but most of the materials are petroleum-based. Its taken researchers 10 years to produce biosourced synthetic elastomers. \u201cIt may take the same amount of time\u201d to make all of the other materials that comprise automobile tires, Gettys said.<\/p>\n But even when it finally gets to productions, further hurdles remain for Michelin\u2019s vision of airless tires printed from biodegradable materials. For example, what\u2019s to prevent the tires from biodegrading while in use? \u201cThat\u2019s a good question,\u201d Gettys said, \u201cand that\u2019s the real challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/pLFu1myciNEJKceMZWbq01Yq8G8=\/400x0\/filters:no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/9067729\/_LMW0138.jpg\")
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