Goodyear and NASA have developed the ultimate wheel, an airless wheel, capable of tackling any terrain without problems, which is made of titanium and nickel.
Surely you have all heard the expression 'do not try to reinvent the wheel', it is a fairly classic expression, when it refers to the attempt to improve or reinvent something that already exists without a successful result. The problem with air wheels is that they get punctured and also, the wheels used in cars, motorcycles and bicycles wear out on the pavement. This is a problem, so there are many who seek to develop a wheel that has a longer life and without air, to avoid punctures and it seems that NASA has succeeded.
NASA has developed a special wheel thinking about future missions to Mars and that could make the leap to the commercial market, such as solar panels or PLCs or automata, developed for the space race. They have developed what has become known as a superelastic tire and it wants to replace the traditional tire. Among the characteristics of this wheel, it stands out that, in theory, it does not suffer from wear, it is made of metal and is capable of standing firm no matter how much the vehicle weighs or the type of terrain it must travel on.
This wheel has been developed at the Glenn Center and has been a joint project of NASA and Goodyear, who claim to have developed the most elastic wheel in the world. It is based on wheels similar to those used in the Apollo mission and has been developed with a mesh system and the material used is shape memory titanium. This material has become very common in the market and is used from vehicles to accessories that we can have at home. This very particular titanium is an alloy of titanium and nickel, which allows titanium, a hard and resistant element, thanks to nickel, to obtain great elasticity without deforming, and it is also very light. It also has the ability to withstand extreme temperatures without problems, it does not require air or internal chamber, being this wheel totally hollow.
Right now they are being tested with this wheel, mounted on off-road vehicles, with an excellent result, with traction quite similar to that of a commercial tire for the summer. The great durability makes it perfect for special missions, military or industrial tasks. This product is very new and the manufacturing process is still extremely expensive, making it cost-unfeasible for any purpose, even for space vehicles. The NASA It works to reduce manufacturing costs and improve the process, something that will happen with time and development, making it ideal first for trips to other planets and later for use in conventional vehicles.
