Jump to content
Forums Gone... but not forgotten!
Pontiac of the Month

FBIRD69's 1969 Firebird

2024 March
of the Month

  • Rev up your passion for Pontiacs and join our vibrant community of enthusiasts!

    Whether you're a die-hard fan of classic muscle cars or you've got a soft spot for sleek modern models, you've found your home here at Forever Pontiac. Our community is dedicated to celebrating everything Pontiac, from the iconic GTO to the legendary Firebird and everything in between.

    Unlock access to expert advice, stunning photo galleries, engaging discussions, exclusive events, and more!

    Start your Pontiac journey with us today!

    Sign up now! 🏁

Car and Driver: Goodyear Dreams of Spherical Tires for Self-Driving Cars


FeedBot

Recommended Posts

Goodyear Eagle-360 spherical tire concept

-

If you believe the darkest prophecies about the self-driving future, our roads will one day be full of cars without owners, cars without steering wheels, and cars without passengers. Such a radical change in how we use vehicles would almost certainly lead to a radical redesign of the automobile as we know it. The trunk could go in the front, the seats could face the rear, the windows could become massive display screens, and the tires could be replaced with, well, spherical tires. At least that’s the future suggested by the Goodyear Eagle-360, a far-out concept tire shown at the 2016 Geneva auto show that was designed specifically for autonomous vehicles.

-

The 3D-printed Eagle-360 features a tread pattern modeled after the texture of brain coral. Seemingly random squiggles of rubber create an omnidirectional design that’s ideal for a tire that can rotate in any direction. The voids of the tread contain a material that mimics natural sponge, softening when wet to soak up water and increase grip. Goodyear also imagines that the tire could roll on specific axes to make use of situation-specific tread features.

-

Goodyear Eagle-360 spherical tire concept

-

A wide central sipe could spin perpendicular to the direction of travel when roads are dry and parallel to the road when it rains, providing a channel to evacuate standing water from under the tire. Sensors built into the tire would detect road conditions and available friction, relaying that information to the car’s computers so it knows when it’s necessary to travel below the speed limit.

-
--
-

The creators have contemplated a few of the Everest-sized hurdles that will prevent this idea from ever becoming reality. They propose that the Eagle-360 would be mated to the vehicle using existing magnetic levitation technology, although designers openly admit that the necessary permanent magnets would add thousands of pounds to the vehicle’s weight as the tech exists today. For propulsion, each tire would contain batteries and an electric motor, with recharging made possible by wireless induction. Unused space inside the tire would then be filled with rigid foam rather than pressurized air.

-

2016 Geneva Auto Show Full Coverage

-em_5mPEVKE4

Read Full Article

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tired of these Ads? Register Today!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Tired of these Ads? Purchase Enhanced Membership today to remove them!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.