Automotive tire adapts automatically to road conditions

A new adaptive tire created at the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences can adjust its grooves to suit the current weather and surface conditions.

It’s one thing to be alerted by text message when road conditions become treacherous — even better, however, would be to have tires that can adapt to these conditions automatically. Enter a new adaptive tire created at the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences that can adjust its grooves to suit the current weather and surface conditions. Changing tires to suit weather conditions is usually a luxury associated with racing drivers, but it is rarely considered an option for everyday use. However, the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences’ innovation could bring similar advantages — both in terms of driving performance and safety — to everyday drivers, without the need to change tires at all. Shape-changing components have been incorporated into the new adaptive tires so that longitudinal and transverse grooves can move separately, a Leipzig press release explains. Then, whether the vehicle is on highway or dirt road, and whatever the conditions, the tires can change their profile automatically to suit the needs of the moment. Unveiled last month at the Hanover Fair 2012 by a team led by Leipzig Prof. Detlef Riemer, the patent-protected tire is still a work in progress, Riemer notes. Automotive entrepreneurs — one to get in on early?