the wheel reinvented - best invention of 2005?

Time Magazine has a section available online entitled “Best Inventions 2005” – worth the read on a slow Sunday afternoon or Monday morning (if your monitor doesn’t face the door to your office…) to see what is coming in the future.

As Dig Tank put it… what’s next, a new and improved way to slice white bread?

Inventor: Michelin
Availability: Now for the IBOT; about 2020 for cars
To Learn More: michelinman.com

A wheel without an inflated tire may seem old-fashioned—think wooden buggy wheels—but the Tweel from Michelin is anything but retro. A shock-absorbing rubber tread band distributes pressure to dozens of flexible polyurethane spokes. The spokes in turn are supported by an aluminum center. Because the Tweel is airless, it is more rugged than a pneumatic tire and never goes flat. The Tweel has been tested on the IBOT robotic wheelchair and military vehicles. But you won’t see it on your Honda anytime soon. Michelin says it is still too noisy for automotive applications.