Hankook Tire commercializes airless tires fitted on unmanned fire-fighting robots

Hankook Tire & Technology has begun commercialization by applying airless tires, which do not require air inflation, to unmanned firefighting robots. The company said on the 21st that it has decided to equip unmanned firefighting robots made by Hyundai Rotem with its selfdeveloped airless tire, 'iFlex.' This tire has no air inside and maintains its shape with a rubber arch structure, reducing the risk of punctures and capable of bearing loads of more than one ton. Its advantage is that it offers greater stability than regular tires in environments with many heat sources and sharp obstacles, such as fire scenes. Four unmanned firefighting robots equipped with iFlex have already been deployed to four locations, including the Hwaseong Fire Station in Gyeonggi Province and the Chungnam Fire Headquarters, and are being sent to highrisk sites. Hankook Tire and Hyundai Rotem have jointly developed tires for firefighting robots for about five years, and plan to expand their application to autonomous vehicles and robot mobility in the future.