Imagine a life free from the hassle of dealing with a flat tire. Well, this is now closer to possible thanks to Earl Patrick Cole and Brian Yennie. In 2020, Cole and Yennie were among those who participated in the FedTech NASA Startup Program. There they were exposed to airless tires that NASA engineers had created for the agency’s moon and Mars rover missions using Shape Memory Alloy Radial Technology, or SMART . The tires, which are made with nitinol — a combination of nickel and titanium — cannot be punctured and will not require air to operate, Fast Company reports. Spurred by this technology, The SMART Tire Co. hit the ground running that same year, with the aim to revolutionize the transportation industry “from the ground up,” as stated on the company website. Its current benchmark is focused on bicycles, which was intentional as there are less regulations in comparison to the automotive industry, the outlet notes. The SMART Tire Co.’s first product is the airless bicycle...