Bridgestone, a global leader in premium tyres and sustainable mobility solutions, has revealed plans to invest in a new driver-in-the-loop (DiL) simulator at its EMEA R&D Centre, which is located close to Rome, Italy. The company's dedication to completely digitising the tyre development process is demonstrated by the new, cutting-edge DiL simulator, which enhances its Virtual tire Development (VTD) capabilities.

The launch of a Bridgestone-owned DiL simulator enables Bridgestone engineers to replicate tyre behaviour, vehicle interaction and reaction in a variety of scenarios, all while including professional test drivers' subjective feedback. This combination, with the aid of AI technologies, facilitates the virtual trial of novel and creative design concepts and the quicker evaluation of a greater number of design possibilities, speeding up the process of reaching target tyre performance.

In addition to improving speed to market and development process efficiency, the new DiL simulator will assist Bridgestone in fostering innovation and venturing into unexplored territories. Additionally, the investment supports the company's partnership with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and its development of high-quality original equipment (OE) and replacement goods. This is made possible by these new capabilities, which allow for the rapid joint iterations necessary to develop tyres and automobiles in simultaneously.

Additionally, on-premises DiL simulation will hasten the business's transition to sustainability. Bridgestone estimates that this expenditure will save up to 12,000 experimental tyres annually by lowering the amount of both produced tyres and physical tyre testing, which will result in a considerable decrease in CO2 emissions. The company's in-house VTD technology already reduces CO2 emissions and raw material use during the OE tyre development phase by up to 60 percent. The savings on replacement tyres are at least 25 percent.

Leveraging data-driven predictors and physics-based simulations, Bridgestone VTD capabilities are being applied to all products. This covers the company's next-generation goods in addition to premium and luxury OE advancements. A brand-new, cutting-edge dynamic driving simulator from VI-grade is being financed by the investment. The business anticipates that the DiL technique will be used for up to 50 percent of OE innovations each year with this simulator, which should be completely operational by the end of 2025. Although Bridgestone presently primarily uses the DiL technique to evaluate dry handling, the business is striving to broaden the range of tyre performance areas it can evaluate as well as the market sectors it may be used to.

Emilio Tiberio, Chief Technology Officer Bridgestone West, said, “This investment in our internal DiL simulation capabilities is a major milestone as we build a comprehensive ecosystem for accurately predicting tyre performance in the virtual world. It also gives us the capabilities to experiment with new and innovative combinations of designs and materials in a fully virtual environment. Bridgestone is a leading investor in R&D in the industry, with more than EUR 800 million invested annually across the globe. This next step is a testimonial to our Bridgestone E8 Commitment. As a sustainable solutions company, we continue to innovate while reducing our time to market. At the same time, we are improving joint development processes with OEMs and enhancing the sustainability of our R&D activities.”

The project, developed in partnership with Goodyear Tire & Rubber, represents a significant improvement over conventional metal spring tyre.

NASA has completed testing of revolutionary shape-memory tyres for Mars rovers, marking a significant advance in technology for future Red Planet exploration.

The testing, conducted at Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage, United Kingdom, evaluated new tyres made from nickel-titanium shape memory alloys (SMAs) — metals that can return to their original shape after being bent, stretched, heated and cooled.

While NASA has explored only one percent of the Martian surface, these innovative tyres could help future missions more effectively navigate the planet's challenging, rocky terrain.

The breakthrough emerged from a chance encounter between NASA scientists at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

"The minute I saw the tyre, I said, aren't you having problems with that plasticizing?" said Dr Santo Padula II, materials research engineer at NASA Glenn. "Colin told me, 'That's the only problem we can't solve.' I said, I have your solution. I'm developing a new alloy that will solve that. And that's how SMA tyres started."

The fall 2024 tests at Airbus's Mars Yard — a facility simulating Martian conditions — demonstrated the tyres' capabilities on simulated terrain.

"We went out there with the team, we brought our motion tracking system and did different tests uphill and back downhill," said Colin Creager, a mechanical engineer at NASA Glenn. "We conducted a lot of cross slope tests over rocks and sand where the focus was on understanding stability because this was something we had never tested before."

The project, developed in partnership with Goodyear Tire & Rubber, represents a significant improvement over conventional metal spring tyre. The new alloy can withstand extreme stress while maintaining its original shape.

Looking ahead, NASA plans to expand the technology's applications. "My goal is to extend the operating temperature capability of SMAs for applications like tires, and to look at applying these materials for habitat protection," Padula said.

The research could benefit both Mars and lunar missions, potentially protecting habitats from micrometeorite strikes and enabling long-term human presence on both celestial bodies.

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has commenced the practical testing of a technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to gauge air pressure from the sound made by tapping truck and bus tyres.

In collaboration with METRIKA, Inc., Yokohama Rubber is creating an artificial intelligence algorithm that can detect the sounds produced by tapping the tyre from a range of ambient noises, ascertain the sound interval – the time and duration of the sound – and calculate the tyre's air pressure based on the sound. Furthermore, METRIKA and Yokohama Rubber have created a specialised application prototype and are presently carrying out real-world testing at a business involved in transportation. By capturing the sound produced while tapping the tyre on a smartphone app, this technology will allow drivers to visually understand the tyre's air pressure and whether additional pressure is required. Anyone will be able to do a very accurate air-pressure check thanks to this technology, eliminating the requirement for a special device or any special skill.

The practical testing will be used by Yokohama Rubber to enhance the application's useability and the AI algorithm's accuracy. Furthermore, Yokohama Rubber intends to integrate this new technology into its in-house next-generation Tyre Management System (TMS), which leverages the Internet of Things (IoT) to suggest suitable goods and business strategies for organisations involved in transportation.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and TNO have successfully demonstrated that the integration of tyre intelligence technology into the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system of a vehicle has the potential to mitigate crashes even in challenging road conditions.

According to recent wet road testing, an improved AEB system with Goodyear SightLine technology may help reduce collisions at up to 80 kmph (50 mph) by applying brakes early. All things considered, the combination of AEB and SightLine insights on tyre and road condition data contributes to reliable performance in a variety of situations. This follows Goodyear and TNO's successful CES 2024 demonstration of tyre intelligence integration with antilock braking systems (ABS).

The automotive industry has placed a lot of emphasis on the AEB system, which applies the brakes automatically when a collision is about to occur in order to assist prevent or lessen the severity of crashes. The AEB system can work more efficiently in a variety of driving conditions, including low-friction surfaces like wet roads or ice, by integrating Goodyear SightLine, the company's suite of tyre intelligence solutions. Currently, existing systems are usually tuned for high-friction surfaces like dry asphalt. Tyre intelligence may give the AEB more detailed information about the real tyre and road conditions through the contact patch with the road, allowing for more intelligent and accurate decision-making.

Chris Helsel, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Goodyear, said, "Safety is a cornerstone of Goodyear's commitment to innovation. By providing critical inputs about tyre and road conditions into AEB systems, we are helping OEMs and their customers take a leap forward in safety, well ahead of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) 2029 mandate for AEB systems in passenger vehicles. Beyond this mandate, AEB systems will play a critical role in automated driving, helping to provide a comprehensive safety solution at all times."

Martijn Stamm, Marketing Director, Unit Mobility & Built Environment, TNO, said, "TNO is dedicated to enhancing the safety, efficiency and sustainability of vehicles. Our collaboration with Goodyear aims to predict the braking distance of a vehicle in more conditions, like dry and wet asphalt, and trigger the AEB timely to reduce accidents and ultimately safe lives. This knowledge is a key enabler for a safe introduction of higher levels of automation."

Italy-headquartered Rodolfo Comerio, a leading supplier of advanced systems for calendering lines, has come out with a new innovative solution, which it believes will further make plants more sustainable.

The company’s new calendering lines provides rigorous control, which enables thickness uniformity. Its production versatility processes a wide range of technical materials with different chemical and physical properties. This reduces production times and maximises productivity all the while cutting down on wastage.

Rodolfo Comerio stated that energy efficiency in buildings starts with roof insulation, which is also an effective way to cut down on thermal dispersion and enhance indoor comfort.

The company claims that materials manufactured with its calendering lines are higher efficient, have better durability even in extreme weather conditions and are much more sustainable.