Flying cars, we’ve been fascinated by it since we first watched The Jetsons. What used to be science fiction is now becoming reality. More and more manufacturers are focusing on the flying car of the future. Even Goodyear, which presented the futuristic tire AERO this week.
If you don’t need something in a flying car, it’s tires, right? Goodyear wants to prove the opposite with the Goodyear AERO, a two-function tire designed for the autonomous, flying car of the future. We know the traditional function: roll. The Goodyear AERO does that too. In addition, the tire functions as a propeller for when you go up in the air.
“Goodyear has been obsessively pursuing innovations and inventions for 120 years. To do this, the company works with the pioneers who guide changes and discoveries in the field of transport,” says Chris Hsteem, Chief Technology Officer at Goodyear.
“Mobility companies are currently looking at the sky as a solution to the congestion problem and the challenges of urban traffic. Our research into advanced tire designs and materials has led to the design of a wheel that can serve as a traditional tire on the road and as a propulsion in the air. ”
5 characteristics of the Goodyear AERO
For the technicians among us: Goodyear summarizes the AERO in five characteristics.
1. Optical detection
The AERO would use light-based glass fiber sensors to monitor the condition of the road, tire wear and structural integrity of the tire itself.
2. Magnetic propulsion
The AERO concept tire would use magnetic forces to provide friction less propulsion. This would allow the high rotational speeds required to ride on the ground, but also, when the wheel is tilted, to ascend and gain speed.
3. Multimodal design
The AERO is a multimodal tilt rotor concept. The tire would be used in its traditional orientation as a drive to transfer and absorb forces from and on the road. In another orientation, it would serve as a drive system to lift the air. On suitable vehicles, the AERO would give the commuters of the future the freedom to seamlessly transition from the road to the sky.
4. Non-pneumatic structure
The spokes of the concept would provide support to support the weight of the vehicle and serve as propeller blades to give lift when the tire is tilted. This unique air-free tire uses a non-pneumatic structure that is flexible enough to withstand shocks on the road and strong enough to rotate at the high speeds required to create vertical lift.
5. Artificial intelligence
The concept would also be provided with a built-in AI processor that combines the information from the tape sensors with data from vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. The AI processor would analyze these data streams and recommend certain actions. In this way the vehicle can adapt to the flight or driving mode. In addition, the processor would identify and resolve potential problems with the tire before they occur.
Although the AERO is just a conceptual design, some technologies with which it is equipped, such as a non-pneumatic structure and intelligent capabilities, are already being developed by Goodyear today. Others will possibly form the basis for new ideas and new products in the future. “The purpose of the Goodyear concepts is to initiate a discussion about the tires and transport technologies for a new mobility ecosystem”, thus Hell.
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