South Koran tyre maker, Hankook Tire unveiled on 2 January its latest tyre innovation called “Transforming Tire” , the fourth output of “The Next Driving Lab” project that demonstrates its innovative commitment to future driving. The “Transforming Tire” transforms its shape in response to various road conditions.
The project started by challenging stereotypes about tyre shapes, something that has never changed since the development of tyres, Hankook explained. Until now, tyres have been designed to only allow the variation of tread and flatness ratio (ratio of sectional height and width of tyres) to the performance necessary for road surface, climate change and operation, based on its original circular shape.
Hankook Tire collaborated with Professor Kyu-Jin Cho’s BioRobotics Lab from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, who won first place in the 2016 RoboSoft Grand Challenge. As a result, Hankook Tire and BioRobotics Lab developed a variable-type tyre that can change the tyre shape, allowing drivers to imagine a future driving experience capable of stable, high-speed driving on any road surface with a single tyre.
The Next Driving Lab campaign was launched in 2013 with the unveiling of Hankook Tire’s Digital Creative Car on the streets of Seoul. The campaign’s next venture was the viral Mind Reading Tire showpiece, which featured a tyre capable of responding to brainwave commands. Third project revealed was an innovative 360-degree Rotating “Ball Pin Tire”. The campaign video of the new tyre is available on Hankook Tire’s website.