Pirelli’s ‘cyber tires’ to map roads in Italian pilot project

Bari, Italy – Pirelli and the Apulia regional government have launched the “world’s first” road monitoring system that unifies data collected by tires and visual cameras.

The pilot project aims to map the “state of health” of roads in Apulia through combining data from Pirelli cyber tire hardware and software with visual data collected using Univrses’ camera and AI technology.

For the pilot, Pirelli has merged its cyber tire technology with Univrses to deliver an integrated service, explained Pirelli 10 June.

Cyber tire sensors inside the tread analyse road roughness and irregularities, while cameras installed on the vehicle, using Univrses, monitor horizontal and vertical road signage.

The goal is to enable quicker and more efficient maintenance and improve road safety.

As part of the project, vehicles in the Apulia Region’s fleet will be fitted with the combined system and the data collected from the programme will be sent to the cloud and shown on digital dashboards.

The first cars, supplied by long-term rental firm Ayvens, will be operational from July.

Pirelli is also working on similar infrastructure projects, including one with Movyon – Gruppo Autostrade per l’Italia to monitor freeway infrastructure, and others, still being established.

The new agreement strengthens Apulia’s role in Pirelli’s research and development.

In 2022, Pirelli opened its digital solutions centre in Bari, focused on digital innovation.

The centre works with the University of Bari and the Bari Politecnico on smart manufacturing and AI-based tire design.

Commenting on the initiative, Pirelli EVP Marco Tronchetti Provera, said the cyber tire is one of Pirelli’s “lead edge” technologies for the development of the connected and sustainable mobility.

The tire hardware and software system, enable both a connection between the terrain and the car and offer “a precise analysis of the state of infrastructure,” he added.

The tire maker, said Tronchetti Provera, is evaluating further investments in the Apulia region “once some issues of a corporate nature are behind us.”