Tyre manufacturer Goodyear unveiled a conceptual tyre, called the Eagle 360 Urban, at the annual Geneva International Motor Show, in Switzerland this week.
The tyre is a 3D-printed sphere powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and is wirelessly connected to other tyres, vehicles and surroundings.
The Eagle 360 Urban will not feature in cars anytime soon, as no cars today are manufactured to fit a spherical tyre, but it is meant to showcase what could be used in autonomous cars of the future.
"A revolution will take place at the intersection of autonomy, mobility and connectivity. As this unfolds, tyre technology will be even more important than it is today," says Jean-Claude Kihn, president of Goodyear EMEA.
"To safely navigate their surroundings, the autonomous vehicles of the future will need to learn to cope with the millions of possible unknowns we face in every day driving scenarios. To do so, they will need access to data and the ability to learn and adapt."
The AI in the tyre gives it the ability to adapt to difference situations, such as changing weather conditions or different road surfaces.
The company says the tyre has 'bionic skin' with a sensor network that allows it to check on its own status and repair small punctures if it needs to. When the tyre is damaged in one area, it is automatically rotated so there is a different point of contact with the road.
"This reduces pressure on the puncture and allows the self-healing process to start. The self-healing works thanks to materials which are specifically designed to be able to flow towards the puncture. They react physically and chemically with each other to form new molecular bonds, closing the puncture," explains Goodyear.
The tyre also collects information such as traffic data from nearby connected devices. This information is processed and gives the tyre the ability to 'decide' the most appropriate course of action or route.
The video below showcases how the tyre in a future-car would work.
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