Spherical smart tyres for autonomous cars

Goodyear has unveiled two futuristic tyre concepts, designed specifically with driverless cars in mind.

As the reality of autonomous cars draws closer, tyre manufacturer Goodyear is preparing in advance. The company recently unveiled two new tyre concepts at the 86th Geneva International Motor show, designed specifically to deal with the opportunities that driverless cars will create. The Eagle 360 is a spherical tyre, which can move in every direction. While the IntelliGrip is a smart tyre that can communicate with the car, sharing information about the road surface and weather conditions.

The Eagle 360 will connect to the car via magnetic levitation and its spherical shape will enable vehicles to have great maneuverability. The tyre design also uses biomimicry — using a 3D printed sponge-like surface, which softens when wet and stiffens in dry conditions. The IntelliGrip adds smart features to a traditional tyre — it has a specially designed tread, and is equipped with sensors that can sense road conditions and convey them to the vehicle, which in turn can adapt its behavior, such as shortening stopping distances and adapting speed.

What other opportunities will arise from the eventuality of driverless cars, which technology companies should be exploring now?