These Hankook Smart Tires Will Make You Wish You Were Born 100 Years Later

The future of transportation has in store much more than self-driving cars. Hankook Tire believes we’ll see extendable buses on the streets and electric unicycles capable of turning into Segways upon request and climbing stairs. And that’s just a slice of the future envisioned by the company. You can see the rest in a cool concept video #automagic

Two years ago, Hankook Tire was making waves with their amazing futuristic tires, part of the Design Innovation Project. This is a bi-annual challenge to come up with wild ideas for tires that can revolutionize transportation as we know it today. Back then, Boostrac, Alpike and HyBlade were the show stoppers. The first one had hexagonal treads that expanded so it could master difficult, steep terrain. Alpike was another expandable tire, but in diameter this time around. By doing so, it could create channels in snow and ice to increase grip. Finally, HyBlade was imagined as a tire for vehicles that go underwater. It had propeller spokes and special treads for navigating under the sea.

Now, Hankook is back with not three, but four concept tires and a scenario where each shows its strength. First up is MagTrac, a tire that’s somehow built to leave an empty space between the tread and alloy wheel. This is recommended for comfortable rides, that don’t mind bumps in the road. Then, you have an off road tire, Motiv, that’s equipped with flexible polyurethane blocks that move separately according to variable surface shapes. TilTread is considered a sport tire, since you can reach high speed by taking advantage of its tilt system. This can ensure stable cornering and maximum grip.

Finally, Hankook’s smartest hybrid tire is eMembrane. In this case, both sides of rim extend the tread to ensure perfect grip and cornering thanks to the wide tire surface.

As cool as the tires sound, we guarantee they look even better in action. So, check out the cool video made by Hankook:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSvBWtmpYL4