Hasta La Ideas

I’d considered reporting on Goodyear’s self-inflating tire for automobiles when the Times mentioned it a couple weeks ago, but I ultimately decided not to, given the lack of images and (confidential) information. Still, the tidbits that Goodyear did divulge piqued my interest:

“While the technology is complex, the idea behind the A.M.T. system is relatively simple and powered by the tire itself as it rolls down the road,” said Jean-Claude Kihn, a Goodyear executive, in a prepared statement. The manufacturer did not disclose any further details about the concept’s operating principle.

Self-regulating tire-pressure systems are not new. Such systems are common sights on the undersides of tractor-trailers, but they depend on the harmonious operation of various peripheral devices, including air pumps, filters and pressure valves. The Goodyear concept houses the tire-pressure regulation equipment, including a small pump mechanism, inside the tire itself.

This is precisely what a San Francisco-based startup called PumpTire has just created for the increasingly popular urban conveyance known as the bicycle. Founder Benjamin Krempel and his international team of cycling enthusiasts invite you to “imagine taking your bicycle out of the garage and never having to fill up the tires or even check the pressure. Or imagine yourself being able to change your tire pressure on-the-fly with a simple adjustment from the handlebars. PumpTire is developing both of these systems.”

The PumpTire operates on what sounds like a similar principle to Goodyear’s otherwise top-secret auto tire, drawing air into a “lumen” (see video below) through a one-way valve while the wheel is rolling. The rim-mounted valve—which comes in the standard presta and schrader variations—detects the pressure and stops when the built-in inner tube is at a certain psi. “The self-inflating, self-adjusting technology is incorporated directly into the tire and is compatible with current rims, making it a simple addition to any bicycle.”

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