Nexen Tire Develops Three Future Concept Tires in Collaboration with Korea Institute of Design Promotion

Collaboration with 9 Product Design Majors from KDM+

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Je-hoon] Nexen Tire announced on the 12th that it collaborated with nine product design major students from KDM+, a program under the Korea Institute of Design Promotion affiliated with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, to create three future concept tires: 'Kangkeoreo', 'Pureback', and 'N-Grip'.

KDM+ is a design membership program operated by the Korea Institute of Design Promotion that selects promising students nationwide and nurtures them into talents ready to be deployed in the industry through various practical design education.

First, Kangkeoreo (CONQUEROR) is a transform tire specialized for icy roads in winter. It normally maintains the form of an all-season tire, but when a smart sensor detects a slippery surface, spikes on the tread protrude to improve driving stability and mobility on icy roads.

Pureback (PUREBACK) is an eco-friendly tire that prevents air pollution caused by microplastics generated from tire wear. Through suction ports between the treads, microplastics generated during driving are stored in a central capsule in real time, allowing effective separation and disposal.

N-Grip (N-Grip) applies the principle of a gecko’s foot that climbs walls freely, suitable for situations requiring grip such as high-speed driving and cornering. The internal tread with a special pattern protrudes to generate 'van der Waals forces,' which are intermolecular attractive forces, providing high grip and driving stability.

Nexen Tire stated, "The developed tires will be produced as physical models and participate in various international design awards," and added, "We plan to lead future automotive industry trends based on diverse industry-academia and industry-industry joint research projects and the discovery of creative ideas."