autoregion international - Edition 1/2020

23 The Goodyear AERO – A Concept Tire for Autonomous, Flying Cars By Jean-Paul Bruck, Manager Corporate & Brand Communication Luxembourg, Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations S.A., Colmar-Berg Goodyear introduced its latest concept tire at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show in March. The Goodyear AERO concept is a two-in-one tire designed for the autonomous, flying cars of the future. This concept would work both as a tire for driving on the road and a “propeller” for flying through the sky. Images: © Goodyear For over 120 years Goodyear has obses- sively pursued innovations and inven- tions, partnering with the pioneers driving change and discovery in transport. With mobility companies looking to the sky for the answer to the challenges of urban transport and congestion, Goodyear’s work on advanced tire architectures and materials led them to imagine a wheel that could serve both as a traditional tire on the road and as a propulsion system in the sky. The AERO concept includes several innova- tive features: ›  Multimodal Design: The AERO is a multi- modal tilt-rotor concept. It would serve as a drive train to transfer and absorb forces to and from the road in a traditional Goodyear www.goodyear.com orientation and an aircraft propulsion system to provide lift in another orien- tation. With capable vehicles, the AERO would give future commuters the free- dom to move seamlessly from the road to the sky. ›  Non-Pneumatic Structure: The con- cept’s spokes would provide support to carry the weight of the vehicle and act as fan blades to provide lift when the tire is tilted. This unique airless tire uses a non-pneumatic structure that is flexible enough to dampen shocks when driving on the road, and strong enough to rotate at the high speeds necessary for the ro- tors to create vertical lift. ›  Magnetic Propulsion: The AERO concept would use magnetic force to provide frictionless propulsion. This would en- able the high rotating speeds required to drive the vehicle on the ground and, when thewheel is tilted, lift a vehicle into the air and propel it forward. ›  Optical Sensing: The AERO would use light-based, fiber optic sensors to mon- itor road conditions, tire wear and the structural integrity of the tire itself. ›  Artificial Intelligence: The concept would also feature an embedded A.I. pro- cessor that would combine information from the tire’s sensors with data from vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infra- structure communication. The A.I. pro- cessor would analyze these streams of data to recommend a course of action - allowing a vehicle to adapt to a flying or driving mode – and identify and resolve potential tire-related issues before they happen. While the AERO is a purely conceptual de- sign, some of its featured technologies, such as a non-pneumatic structure and in- telligent tire capabilities, are being devel- oped by Goodyear today, while othersmight become the basis for new ideas and poten- tially new products in the future. They will certainly trigger a debate on the tires and transport technologies for a new mobility ecosystem. S H A R E