Goodyear unveils intelligent, connected tires in Geneva

Geneva, Switzerland – The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has unveiled “new and emerging technologies” in two new concept tires on display during the Geneva Motor Show, currently underway in the Swiss city.

The tire company  is showcasing the spherical-shaped Eagle 360 Urban and the IntelliGrip Urban smart tire, which use technologies such as artificial intelligence and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity to help autonomous driving.

The technologies, said the company during Geneva Motor Show’s press day on 7 March, will address the "evolving mobility ecosystem" which is moving towards driverless vehicles and shared mobility in urban centers.

“The future of the automotive industry is being shaped by rapid advances in technology and changing consumer attitudes and behaviours,” said Joe Zekoski, Goodyear’s senior vice president and chief technical officer.

The concepts and technology on the show in Geneva, he said, “are part of the revolution”.

The Eagle 360 Urban is an “evolution” of Goodyear’s 2016 spherical-shaped design concept for autonomous vehicles. The concept aims to further integrate the tire into the vehicle’s “nervous system” by giving it an artificial intelligence "brain". The brain, said Goodyear, “allows it to sense, decide, transform and interact”.

Among some of the main features of the tire is its V2X communications connectivity which allows gathering and sharing real-time information about driving conditions from the tires, other vehicles, infrastructure, and traffic systems for a complete picture.

The tire’s artificial intelligence also processes data through “deep learning algorithms and improve braking, handling and efficiency.”

The tire has a “bionic skin” made of a “super-elastic polymer with high-sensory capacity and the flexibility to adapt its tread pattern to driving conditions with the help of actuators beneath the surface," Goodyear added.

Another concept tire on the show is the IntelliGrip Urban, which is also a smart tire designed for autonomous, on-demand transportation.

The tire has a focus on maximising uptime and reducing operating costs for ride-sharing service providers.

It has a sensor-in-tire technology to gather and share information about road and weather conditions with the vehicle control system to optimise speed, braking, handling and stability.

The tire uses telematics for “proactive maintenance” and monitoring of its health to increase its uptime.

With a tall and narrow design, the tire is claimed to be fuel efficient, with low rolling resistance.