New App to save your Alloy wheels

Most of us have heard it numerous times - that sickening grinding noise when you have gotten too close to the curb and your beautiful new mag-alloy wheels have just lost the argument with some ugly cement. A simple misjudgment of your proximity to the curb could lead to some ugly and expensive damage to your previously glistening wheels. But wait. All of that alloy to cement contact could become a thing of the past if you rush out and get yourself the brand new SmartRim.

The SmartRim is the brainchild of tech-entrepreneur Steven Domenikos and has been created with a view of giving drivers a clear idea of the proximity of their beloved alloy wheels to the municipal cement or other unsighted wheel traps. The wireless technology employs sensors attached to the wheel well using high bond adhesive; these sensors are powered by a single AA battery in each, which is rated to last for 1000 parking cycles. These sensors produce ultrasonic waves that detect any nearby objects dozens of times each second.

The results are sent wirelessly to your smartphone where an iOS app displays a proximity map on your screen, providing alerts before you scar your beloved alloy wheels, or at least that is the theory. The SmartRim website tells us that the sensors are waterproof, dust-proof, dirt-proof, vibration-proof and can operate between -30°C to 50°C.

Currently the device is only available to people who are willing to be a part of a crowdfunding campaign and can be yours for just US$345, assuming that it reaches the production phase. If and when it turns up in our retail shops, the anticipated price will be US$495 per vehicle, for which you will receive four sensors and the smartphone app.