Hankook Tire Launches 2018 Design Innovation Project

Hankook Tire has launched its ‘2018 Design Innovation’ project. The leading tyre manufacturer has launched the project in collaboration with the renowned Royal College of Art in the United Kingdom. Hankook has conducted the project every two years from 2012 in order to further explore the immense scope for tyre designs and innovation as part of its bid to develop creative and realistic alternatives to driving.

The theme of ‘2018 Design Innovation’ will ‘Extending Future Life Beyond Mobility’. According to Hankook, The company says that by 2018, it expects human life to be highly connected to advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics. Hence, future mobility will not involve just transporting human beings from one location to another, but will also involve incorporating new experiences and values as part of the traditional mobility environment. The participants of the project will be asked to come up with a new tire concept which will involve autonomous driving technology, and add an entirely new dimension to future driving life.

More than 10 students of UK’s Royal College of Art who are specializing in vehicle design will participate in the project. Those who participate in the project are required to present a 3D modeling of a future tire, including the tire, wheel, and the exterior design. The project will be conducted from January to March and some of the entries will be selected and the students will be asked to create animations and actual size mock-ups. The project will culminate in September with a display of the winning projects and an award ceremony.