Goodyear imagines a wheel that could serve both as a traditional tyre on the road and as a propulsion system in the sky. Picture: SUPPLIEDActually it’s both. The intriguing Goodyear AERO concept is a two-in-one tyre designed for the autonomous, flying cars of the future. This concept would work both as a tyre for driving on the road and a “propeller” for flying through the sky.
The AERO concept includes a number of innovative features, starting with its multimodal tilt-rotor concept which would serve as a drive train to transfer and absorb forces to and from the road in a traditional orientation and an aircraft propulsion system to provide lift in another orientation. This unique airless tyre uses a 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 rotors to create vertical lift.
It’s proposed that the AERO would use light-based, fibreoptic sensors to monitor road conditions, tyre wear and the structural integrity of the tyre itself.