For more than 50 years, NASA has been channeling its advanced technology into everyday products. Space agency materials have penetrated everything from memory foam mattresses to smartphone and digital camera image sensors. So it was only a matter of time before its innovative tire technology was added to NASA’s long list of so-called spinoffs. A startup called Smart is using airless memory alloy tire (SMA) technology – originally built for lunar and Mars rovers – for a bicycle tire called Metl.
Composed of interconnected springs that do not require inflation, Smart says that super-elastic tires are built like titanium to withstand rough terrain without leveling. Basically, he hopes that the prospect of a puncture-free ride will attract environmentally friendly cyclists, tired of throwing rubber tubes in the trash.
NASA’s Glenn Research Center originally developed the SMA by modifying the typical elastic pneumatic tire material in memory alloys capable of withstanding severe reversible deformation and deformation. To combat punctures, NASA engineers decided to create a tire that could flexibly adapt to irregular lunar and Martian terrains and return to its original shape, while still boasting improved control. Naturally, all of these functions refer to off-road cycling.
As a NASA-approved startup, Smart worked closely with the space agency on its Metl tire, which is expected to reach consumers early next year. She has already secured a partner in Spin, Ford’s proprietary electronic scooter sharing company. Smart, which is co-founded by Survivor: Fiji champion Earl Cole and blockchain engineer Brian Yennie also foresee their tires reaching cars.