The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has unveiled two new shaped tires concepts for future autonomous vehicles at the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show in Switzerland.
The concepts, the Eagle-360 and IntelliGrip, are expected to reshape the future for autonomous cars.
The Eagle-360 is a spherical-shaped design concept tire that will offer self-driving cars maneuverability, connectivity and biomimicry to increase safety.
The multi-orientation of the spherical-shaped tire enables the car to move in all directions and embedded sensors communicate road as well as weather conditions to the vehicle control system and other adjacent cars.
Goodyear said the tires will depend on a magnetic levitation system to suspend the car, leading to a smooth ride for the passenger.
The IntelliGrip concept tire is designed to communicate with autonomous vehicle control systems, sensing road surface and weather conditions for enhanced driving safety and performance.
The company said the concept's advanced sensor technology could make vehicles even safer.
The IntelliGrip also utilizes advanced active wear technology to assess the condition of the tire and the vehicle.
The autonomous vehicle will adapt its speed when the tire senses a rainy or slippery road surface.
The tire will have the ability to lower the stopping distance, deliver a better cornering response, optimize stability and support collision prevention systems.
Goodyear is working with several vehicle manufacturers to further adapt the technology to their requirements.
Goodyear senior vice president and chief technical officer Joseph Zekoski said: "By steadily reducing the driver interaction and intervention in self-driving vehicles, tires will play an even more important role as the primary link to the road."
"Goodyear's concept tires play a dual role in that future both as creative platforms to push the boundaries of conventional thinking and testbeds for next-generation technologies."
Image: The spherical-shaped Eagle-360 concept highlights maneuverability, connectivity. Photo: courtesy of Goodyear.