Prototype Adaptable tyre
A Germany-based research group has unveiled the prototype of what it calls an ‘adaptive tyre’. According to the group, the tyre can adapt itself to different weather and road conditions. Whether you are driving on a smooth motorway, or a rough gravel road, in hot weather, snow, or rain, the tyre can recognise the conditions and adapt its tread grooves. All this happens automatically!
The tyres you can currently have fitted to your car are bound to be a compromise in some way. Some tyres are better on dry roads, while others perform better in the wet. Some are designed for use in the snow, while others are designed for rough road (or off-road) conditions. Drivers currently choose their tyres based on the type of driving they do most of all, and the type of weather that is most likely for that time of year. These new tyres would change all that as the tyre would adjust throughout each individual trip.
It sounds almost like magic, but the science behind it is relatively easy to understand. The tread has elastic components incorporated within it which are activated by a control unit within the tyre. The tyre’s tread longitudinal and cross-rib grooves can move independently.