[ravradha]

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160...a-smarter-tyre

With magnetic levitation and a 3D-printed tread pattern inspired by brain coral, the sphere-shaped Eagle-360 could be the biggest advance to tyre tech since vulcanised rubber.

We write a lot about autonomous vehicles, and have explored the special sensors, interfaces, communication systems, and computing power that will be integral to their inevitable deployment. We hadn’t, until now, thought much about the tyre. But then, we don't work for Goodyear.

“We aren’t trying to predict the future, but we’re looking to the future of mobility and connectivity,” says Goodyear’s Keith Price, spokesperson for the company’s R&D arm. At last week’s Geneva motor show, the tyre and rubber company unveiled two new concepts specifically designed for autonomous vehicles. The first, called the Eagle-360, literally reinvents the wheel (a cliché we imagine is banned company-wide) with a stunning spherical design.

Goodyear Eagle-360 Concept:


The advantages of ball-shaped tyre are legion. Using them, an autonomous vehicle could move in any direction at any angle at any time, spinning the vehicle in place to turn around, making completely parallel lane changes, or crab-rolling sideways to parallel park in a tiny space after dropping its passengers. These manoeuvres are impossible to execute using a human/steering-wheel interface (which requires forward momentum to execute a turn), but with a robot in charge of a spherical tyre, just about anything is possible.

The disadvantages of ball-shaped tyre are rather more obvious. A sphere has no central axis, and therefore no axle wherewith to affix something like a vehicle or a drivetrain. The Eagle-360 (in concept) will overcome this design constraint by using magnetic levitation to suspend a vehicle above its tyres, and use the same technology to drive and brake them. Of course, maglev technology is today deployed only in the very linear application of trains. Goodyear isn’t currently working with a technical partner to develop a rounder version of maglev — at least pre-Geneva. Says Price, “I wouldn’t be surprised if there have been conversations after the unveiling.”

[anoop.nair]

Thanks for tinkering my brain, it started rusting lately. Just wondering, Why would you even need tires if you are able to levitate a vehicle? It would be even better without it as is the case of maglev.

In this scenario, I see the ideal solution as - a low cost levitation machine which can levitate the car from any tarmac with maneuvering.

Just my thoughts,

[ajitkommini]

Originally Posted by anoop.nair

Thanks for tinkering my brain, it started rusting lately. Just wondering, Why would you even need tires if you are able to levitate a vehicle? It would be even better without it as is the case of maglev.

In this scenario, I see the ideal solution as - a low cost levitation machine which can levitate the car from any tarmac with maneuvering.

Just my thoughts,

I guess you still need the wheels because for the levitation to work it has to "push" against something and that something has to be ferromagnetic in nature. In the train example it tries to push the rails downward and the reaction force lifts the carriage upward leaving an air gap. So unless the road is somehow made of a ferromagnetic material there still needs to be something in between.

[anoop.nair]

Originally Posted by ajitkommini

I guess you still need the wheels because for the levitation to work it has to "push" against something and that something has to be ferromagnetic in nature. In the train example it tries to push the rails downward and the reaction force lifts the carriage upward leaving an air gap. So unless the road is somehow made of a ferromagnetic material there still needs to be something in between.

Hey, point taken! Ferromagnetic is when you think of magnetic levitation. In that case tires definitely make sense. Original problem definition did not mention magnetic levitation. Now please don't ask me how .

[GTO]

Mod Note: Thread moved to the Tyre forum . Thanks for sharing!