No tyre brand has enjoyed a longer association with competitive sport than Dunlop. Almost since John Boyd Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre 125 years ago, the firm has been continually involved in the advancement of automotive and racing technology.
Constantly at the forefront of innovation, the leading tyre brand has commissioned a futurology report to look into the future of race cars, specifically what they will look like up to 125 years from now. The assertions made in the report are revelatory and hint at a far greener, more interactive racing future.
Written by renowned futurologist, Dr. Ian Pearson, the report states that racing cars of years hence could have extremely powerful electric engines and linear induction plasma thrusters, as opposed to internal combustion engines. These thrusters would work by bombarding a gas with electrons, which would in turn create the plasma. Superconducting coils could then create large electromagnetic fields to propel it.
Pearson said: “Newton’s laws of motion dictate that as the thruster fires a high-speed pulse out the rear end, the car gains equal forward momentum. It isn’t trivial engineering, and you would have to be careful about the power and direction of the jets, but this isn’t just sci-fi. The military have already prototyped plasma rail guns that work well, and 125 years of development should easily bring this into the race-car technology arena.”
Ultra-strong chassis materials, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene, could create great strength and rigidity at low weight; keeping future racing cars on track and helping to improve handling. Some could even change shape mid-race, allowing aerodynamics to vary on command. Engineers might use polymer gels that can contract like muscles and shape-memory alloys that ‘remember’ their original, cold-forged shape: returning to it when heated. Future developments in either field could allow components to contract and expand, and engineers will be able to use these materials to design large changes of shape into body parts. “This would allow aerofoils to adjust their profile, or car body skirts to widen for cornering or to vary ground effect and lift on straight sections,” added Dr Pearson.
Electronically controlled materials might also be built into racing tyres, according to the report, enabling variable grip and wear trade-offs. Polymer gels could easily make a short, fat component become a long, thin one. If millions of microscopic spikes were laid down using 3D printing during manufacture, then as the tyre wears, new layers could be brought to the surface. These could then be extended or retracted on demand: standing up to increase grip and folding flat to reduce drag.
Pearson said: “Imagine the spikes as miniature Eiffel Towers, if the base columns were to be squeezed together, you’d obviously expect the height to increase. At a scale from microns to millimetres, microstructures such as this would offer enormous potential for variable grip that could be precisely controlled at high speed.”
The report also predicts that the introduction of android drivers could be necessary. “Imagine if the cars could accelerate and brake five times faster than today’s top-tier open-wheel racers. The primary limitations will be human reaction times and physical limits, so we will also see android races,” Pearson explained. “With full emotional capability, androids will have a strong will to win, coupled to superior reaction times and strength so could execute faster manoeuvres and make for even more compelling spectator events.”
Augmented reality (AR) will become a strong part of everyday life in the future, according to the report. Video visors (such as Google Glass) already exist, overlaying computer-generated imagery onto the field of view. For motorsport spectators in the future this means one person might see one sponsor’s name on a car, while the person next to them sees a different one, depending on their personal preferences.
AR would not only make racing cars look different to each individual viewer, but could also allow the spectators themselves to participate in races. If the technology were to converge with online computer gaming, it could allow people to drive virtually alongside real-life racers and other viewers, making the whole experience more immersive and exciting.
“Some cars could be partly driven by teams of gamers, with an artificial intelligence (AI) autopilot providing a failsafe to protect other drivers. Just as gamers drive against computer-driven cars when they play racing games on a console today, high-tech versions of those driving programmes could control real cars on a race track. The AI could ensure that it doesn’t cause a big danger of accidents, but gamers could account for at least some of the decisions,” continued Pearson.
‘Active skin’ could also be developed over the next few decades. This will essentially be electronics printed directly onto the skin surface for medical monitoring and so on – but it could also link through to people’s nerves. That would enable the recording and replay of sensory signals, thus letting viewers and spectators feel the physical sensations being experience by the drivers.
The full futurology report is available here.
James Bailey, Marketing Communications Director, Dunlop Motorsport Europe:
“We commissioned this intriguing report to help highlight both the impressive period of time over which Dunlop has been involved with cars and motorsport, but also to draw attention to our numerous technical innovations. Disc brakes, RunOnFlat tyres and pressure warning systems – these are all Dunlop inventions that broke new ground and continue the legacy of John Boyd Dunlop.”
For a full copy of the report, or to arrange an interview with Dr Ian Pearson, please contact Sophia Ratcliffe at SRatcliffe@webershandwick.com
Dunlop Future Race Car Challenge
The Dunlop Future Race Car Challenge is a thought-provoking, collective design project that explores the future of race cars. It is a unique and exciting opportunity for fans and enthusiasts to share their thoughts and design ideas on futuristic aerodynamics, drivetrains, brakes and tyres. Interviews with industry experts will be posted on Facebook, inspiring fans and design enthusiasts to join in, submit their ideas and share their thoughts on the future of motorsport. Once all the submissions have been collated, the best ideas will be incorporated into one, final design brought to life by a celebrity designer. To see the inspiring videos and participate in the Dunlop Future Race Car Challenge, please visit the Dunlop Facebook page dunlopfutureracecarchallenge.com Then simply sketch your design or describe your idea.
Dunlop’s 125 years of innovation
In 1888, whilst watching his son riding his tricycle on solid rubber tyres, John Boyd Dunlop noticed that his little boy was not going very fast and did not seem comfortable. So he wrapped the tricycle’s wheels in thin rubber sheets, glued them together and inflated them with a football pump. That way he developed the first air cushioning system in history, and laid the foundation for the first pneumatic tyre. Dunlop patented his idea and started to develop his invention into a commercial venture, founding what quickly became known as the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Co. Ltd. From the outset it was obvious what Dunlop set out to do: deliver a better driving experience for drivers and a better riding experience for riders.
About Dunlop
Dunlop is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high and ultra-high performance tyres with an impressive track record of motor sport successes. Dunlop’s extensive racing experience has led to innovative technologies for tyres designed for everyday motoring. In 2013, Dunlop celebrated its125th anniversary, and our founder’s introduction of the pneumatic tyre. After initial high-speed records, Dunlop celebrated its first triumph at the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1924 and is the most successful tyre manufacturer with 34 wins at the race. In 2013, Dunlop was the choice of the LMP2 champions in the FIA World Endurance Championships, and the overall winner of the Nurburgring 24 hour race. . Dunlop tyres are also proven in the top Touring Car races around the world, including the globally popular Australian V8 Supercar championship and British Touring Car Championships The latest Dunlop road tyres are specified for fitment on award winning vehicles from manufacturers such as AMG, Porsche, Jaguar, Audi, Mercedes, VW, Renault sport and BMW. For more information on Dunlop, visit www.dunlop.eu or www.motorsport.dunlop.eu
About the Futurology Report
Ian Pearson is a full time futurologist, tracking and predicting developments across a wide range of technology, business, society, politics and the environment. He is a Maths and Physics graduate, with a Doctor of Science degree. He has worked in numerous branches of engineering, from aeronautics to cybernetics, sustainable transport to electronic cosmetics. His inventions include text messaging and the active contact lens. He was BT’s full-time futurologist from 1991 to 2007 and now works for Futurizon, a small futures institute. He writes, lectures and consults globally on all aspects of the technology-driven future. He has written several books in several languages, including ‘You Tomorrow’, and made over 500 TV and radio appearances. He is a Chartered Fellow of the British Computer Society, a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, the World Innovation Foundation, and the Royal Society of Arts and the World Innovation Foundation, with a Doctor of Science and a US Army Award for Excellence.
For more information on Dunlop, visit www.dunlop.eu or www.motorsport.dunlop.eu