Robo Tires: Yet Another Enabler for Today’s Dumber, More Distracted Driver

By next month, all new cars are required to have tire-pressure-monitoring systems. But, of course, there’s still a disconnect between noticing a squashed sidewall or a glowing idiot light and finding the time and gumption to pull over at a gas station, dig out a couple quarters (remember when air was free?), and bring the pressures up to spec. Lazy motorists, rejoice! Goodyear may soon relieve you of that messy, fussy task.

In August, the Akron, Ohio, company was awarded a $1.5-million Department of Energy grant to develop tires for commercial vehicles that keep themselves pumped up, and, in July, Goodyear’s European operations obtained a similar grant to develop a consumer version there. Company reps are not divulging details on how their Air Maintenance Technology system works, but after studying U.S. Patent 643243, it appears the concept is forehead-smackingly simple.

The “pump” is designed right into the rubber of the tire sidewall and works like many heart-lung machine blood pumps do: A loop of tubing is flattened by a roller or some other device, pushing a volume of fluid (here, it’s air) ahead of it and sucking in new fluid behind it. In the case of a rolling tire, the road serves to compress a tube mounted in a cavity in the sidewall up near the wheel rim while spring-loaded ball valves admit the pressurized air into the tire cavity if the pressure has dropped, or vent it back out the inlet hole if the tire is properly aired up (thereby purging the inlet filter). As illustrated, the tube and check valves are designed to be pressed into a cavity formed in the tire mold, and all the check valves operate in axial (parallel to axle and ground) channels so they’re unaffected by centrifugal forces.

The system is designed only to counteract a tire’s natural leakage rate of 1 to 3 percent per month–it won’t compensate for a puncture, so TPMS is still required. It seems hard to believe nobody thought of this before the December 21, 2009, patent filing date, right?

Actually, on February 21, 2008, Czech firm Coda Development SRO filed an application for a design that looks mighty similar to these non-patent-lawyerly eyes. A more elaborate system of check valves seems to allow users to alter the pressure level to be maintained, for example, to allow a higher pressure for autobahn speeds/high loads. Neither company would comment on the record, but I’m guessing the Goodyear patent particulars pertain to the simpler commercial-vehicle application (which would always operate at the same pressure), and the European-developed consumer design may incorporate some provision for altering the pressure.

It’s a great idea, and the government investment probably makes sense in the face of quoted statistics — annually, roughly 30 percent of vehicles have at least one tire 25 percent underinflated, and such underinflation contributes to $3.7 billion in wasted fuel, the premature replacement of 4.5 million tires, and 660 tire-related crash fatalities. But I have to wonder, with lubed-for-life suspensions, 100,000-mile transmission and spark-plug service intervals, oil that lasts 15,000 miles, and now tires that air themselves up, how will anybody bond with the maintenance-free cars of the future?

Illustrator: Rob Warnick

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Cars2, Disney, And U.S. DOT: Only Bad Guys Drive Distracted

"Sometimes we all need a distraction...but never while driving," a voice says, as talking vehicles cover the screen.

A new spot, from the U.S. Department of Transportation, is part Cars 2 trailer, part PSA spot, and it aims to capture fans' attention while sending them an important message about driving distracted: That it puts you, your passengers, pedestrians, and others at risk.

Calling, texting, and other activities that could take away driver focus, the short video points out, with a voice arguing, "In our world, only bad guys drive distracted."

As it's likely to be viewed by parents as well as kids (many of whom will be of driving age in just a few years), the message is kept short and to the point. But accompanying the spot is a companion site that highlights eye-opening facts about distraction—such as that 5,474 people were killed on U.S. roadways in 2009 (and nearly 450,000 injured) in crashes reported to involve distracted driving, or that a fifth of injury crashes involve reports of distracted driving.

The distracted driving ad was also highlighted in the FastLane blog, of U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood. According to LaHood, a rich partnership between Disney and the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) has grown from a campaign featuring the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella, in 2005, to safety spots related to A Christmas Carol, Enchanted, Wall-E, and the original Cars.

Disney has made versions of the whole ad/PSA, which you can view below, available in multiple languages, with international versions also offered at no cost. And the accompanying Web site reminds visitors with a road sign that "One text or call could wreck it all."

Indeed, it could. Those who used hand-held cellphones and other devices while driving are four times more likely to be in a serious accident, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

[U.S. DOT, vie Consumerist]

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Share 'Faces Of Distracted Driving,' Hang Up This Holiday Weekend

If you're planning to be out on the highways this Memorial Day weekend, you'd best focus on keeping safe and focused on driving. Patrols are expected to step up enforcement not only for drunk-driving and speeding offenders, but also for those talking and texting behind the wheel.

In 2009, distracted driving killed nearly 5,500 people and caused nearly 500,000 injuries—and holiday weekends are normally accompanied by spikes in traffic accidents.

"But statistics never tell the whole story," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, in a video release. "Behind these numbers are children, parents, neighbors, and friends—their families torn apart by senseless, preventable crashes."

Through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Faces of Distraction series, which we first brought to you last year, the federal government is attempting to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving.

In a new release from the series, Jacy Good, said that her parents were very much aware of driver distraction. "My dad had a bumper sticker that said hang up and drive" long ago, recounted Good.

The Good family went to daughter Jacy's graduation from Muhlenberg College on May 18, 2008, and on the way back, an 18-year-old driver who was talking on a cellphone ran a red light, which caused a semi tractor-trailer to crash into the Goods' vehicle.

The parents died in the crash, but Jacy recovered from critical injuries. "We were just at the wrong place at the wrong time," she said.

Jacy is now a board member of FocusDriven, an organization founded by distracted-driving victims' families, and she makes appearances to raise awareness about distracted driving.

According to the organization, nine percent of all drivers are talking on cellphones, which makes them four times as likely to crash; and drivers who read or type text messages contribute to at least 100,000 crashes per year.

As we head into a holiday travel weekend, watch the video below (as well as the whole series, if you haven't seen it), spread the word about distraction and of this series, and emphasize this point: No message or call is worth the risk; when you get in turn your phone off, and better yet put it in the glovebox.

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