Goodyear’s 3D Printed Living Car Tire Concept
Time：2018-06-06 From：
Founded over hundred years ago, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber company is still among the most famous and successful manufactures of tires of all types, such as tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, race cars, farm vehicles and even for heavy earth-mover machines. Although they have a long history they came up with a new innovative idea every year, taking tires to a new level. This year, Goodyear presented at the Geneva International Motor show a visionary solution for cleaner and more sustainable urban mobility. Their latest concept, a project named “Oxygene”, is a 3D-printed wheel using living moss to absorb moisture from the road.
Cleaning the Air on the Road
The open structure of the wheel allows it to absorb and circulate water and moisture from the road. Through the transparent cover, light is able to reach the moss and enables it to start photosynthesis and thus to release oxygen into the air. By converting the carbon dioxide into oxygen, the tire also generates electricity, which is used to power its electronic features like the artificial intelligence processing unit and sensors. According to Goodyear, in a city like Paris with nearly 2.5 million vehicles, Oxygene has the capacity to generate 3.000 tons of oxygen and absorb more than 4.000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
Light Speed Communication & Sustainable 3D Print Process
The Oxygene wheel uses a visible light communications system, called LoFi, which stands for high-capacity connectivity at the speed of light. LoFi allows the tire and thus the car to connect to the internet, enabling vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure data exchange. This high-powered connectivity system can help to improve road safety and driving efficiency. A customizable light strip system, located in the tire’s sidewall, changes colours to alert drivers and pedestrians of upcoming manoeuvres, such as braking or lane changes. Furthermore, Oxygene features a non-pneumatic 3D-printed construction, which is made from rubber powder of old tires. The light and shock-absorbing structure also provides a long-lasting, puncture-free solution to extend the life of the tire. Consequently, service issues are minimized and a worry-free mobility is possible. Additionally, the open structure of the tire ensures more safety on the road, as absorbing water from the surface gives more grip.
The Sustainable Wheel of The Future?
Oxygene was presented at the 2018 Geneva International Motor show. At this event statistics about the urban air pollution was a hot topic. Chris Delaney, president of Goodyear Europe, Middle East and Africa believes in the success of technologies like Oxygene:
“Like the concept designs Goodyear has presented at Geneva in the past, Oxygene is meant to challenge our thinking and help drive the debate around smart, safe and sustainable future mobility. By contributing in this way to cleaner air generation, the tire could help enhance the quality of life and health for city-dwellers.”