Smart tire technology can help make the roads safer and is a further step towards autonomous driving
Pirelli has made a tire that can transmit road surface information to the driver and other cars on the road through the 5G wireless network. Equipped with an internal sensor, the Pirelli Cyber Tire can send a variety of data such as miles traveled and dynamic load, as well as transmit warnings regarding potentially dangerous driving situations to the driver.
Further, if unsafe driving conditions are detected by the internal sensors, they will help the car’s driver-assist systems kick in, according to the company.
And because the tires are connected via a 5G network, the tires could also communicate with other cars on the road. For instance, if the Cyber Tire-equipped vehicle begins to hydroplane, a car behind the vehicle can receive an alert, warning that driver of the situation.
As of right now, Pirelli has released very little information about the product. To date, the tires are net yet on the market and there is no available price information been released.
However, that doesn’t mean the connected tire market isn’t ramping up. Earlier this month, Bridgestone attended CES for the first time, where it demonstrated its own set of connected tires: a sensor-filled connected smart tire.
According to Hans Dorfi, director of digital engineering at Bridgestone Americas, when paired with a compatible advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS), the tire can sense the road and its own condition, thanks to a sensor inside the tire that is glued to the inner wall, then send that information to the car to use in making self-driving decisions.
With each tire rotation, the sensor—as the section of tire it is attached to hits the asphalt—measures the distortion of the adhesive, in turn, measuring the tire strain. Then, the results are sent to an onboard system that uses a “digital twin” model of that tire.
Like the Pirelli tires, some information obtained from the sensors can be sent beyond the primary vehicle. For example, according to Bridgestone, if the sensor detects a pothole, that information can hypothetically be sent to Department of Transportation, signaling which roads might need repairs.
According to Mike Martini, president, original equipment, U.S. and Canada Consumer Tire Sales Divisions, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, tech in the automotive industry “is rapidly changing,” and the innovation around tire design is playing a critical role in this transformation.
“Tires are an important tuning knob for a vehicle,” he said. “They play a vital role in delivering automakers’ desired vehicle performance, while also meeting the needs and expectations of the next-generation of drivers.”
