Automotive companies are constantly looking for new ways to improve safety and become more connected but the last thing we thought of was Tyres being connected to the internet.
Pirelli has developed a new tyre that can send valuable data about road conditions and other metrics to your car and other motorists closeby. The cyber tyre features a coin-sized disc inside which houses a sensor, processor, and communication electronics. This disc monitors critical metrics and sends them to the car’s ECU and others in close proximity.
For example, if your car hydroplanes across some standing water, it not only attempts to prevent you from crashing but also alerts other motorists behind you that danger lies ahead. In an event, the tyre can tell the car to adjust engine mapping, traction control, or even suspension settings. It will also be able to monitor less critical information such as tread depth, tyre pressure, tyre temperature, and multi-axis acceleration.
While the cyber tyre is aimed at road use, Pirelli fitted the sensor units inside a set of super-sticky P-Zero Trofeo’s. These were fitted to an Audi A8 in a closed test where they successfully detected a wet patch and transmitted the information to a Q8 following close behind. The Q8 received the message over a 5G connection before reaching the wet patch.
This is certainly a step in the right direction but don’t expect to see it in production any time soon as testing has only just begun.