From Engadget.com…..
For more than 50 years, NASA has been channeling its advanced tech into everyday products. The space agency’s materials have crept into everything from memory foam mattresses to smartphone and digital camera image sensors.
So, it was only a matter of time before its breakthrough tire tech was added to the long list of so-called NASA spinoffs. A startup called Smart is using the airless shape memory alloy (SMA) tire technology — originally built for lunar and Mars rovers —for a bicycle tire called Metl.
Composed of interconnected springs that don’t require inflation, Smart claims the superelastic tires are built like titanium to withstand rugged terrains without going flat. Essentially, it’s hoping that the prospect of a puncture-free ride can lure in eco-conscious cyclists sick of tossing rubber tubes in the trash.
