From Project to Object

How is an object born? What scientific knowledge, experimentation, and design choices lie behind the products we use every day? As they go round the exhibition and examine the materials from the Pirelli Historical Archive, the students will discover how a tyre is the result of painstaking research, design, and communication, all of which work hand in hand. Photos, patents, and lab notebooks will illustrate the vital role played by chemistry, physics, and materials science in studying the properties of rubber and for creating products that meet the ever-changing needs of modern society. The students will also gain insight into how artificial intelligence tools now assist technicians and researchers in coming up with innovative solutions.

The course will end with a practical project. Starting out from a future scenario, the students will imagine an innovative tyre or rubber object and then will trace the way the entire project develops, from framing the original problem and selecting the materials required, though to designing simple tests to make sure that it works, trying out different ways to ensure optimal R&D teamwork.

The activity consists of one in-person session at the Pirelli Foundation and one online session.