Pirelli develops the Cyber Tire for connected mobility and autonomous driving

The evolution of Pirelli's intelligent tire continues with an ever-increasing focus on the future of mobility. The Cyber ​​Tire remains at the center of the technological development of the Italian company which has brought its product into a digital ecosystem capable of collecting data from contact with the road. In this way this system is capable of making the vehicle's infrastructure communicate in the best possible way, maximizing efficiency and performance.

Pirelli's vision

"Over twenty years ago we understood that the role of the tire would change - explained Piero Misani, Chief Technical Officer of Pirelli. In fact, today it has become a unique source of information on what happens in contact with the ground. Tires are the connection between the car and the road, the element that transfers every action determined by the mechanics and electronics of the vehicle to the ground. For this reason, what the tire is able to 'read' brings to the closing of the circle towards the transformation from car to software-defined vehicle"

Extremely lightweight technology

A concentrate of technology in just 13 grams. In fact, the device that integrates the sensor, the battery and the transmission module that allows the Cyber ​​Tire to collect data and communicate it weighs so much. A technology capable of resisting even under stressful conditions, such as acceleration inside the wheel which can reach 4,000 g. A path that started from the desire to detect critical phenomena such as aquaplaning directly where it could occur, at the exact point of contact between the wheel and the asphalt, to then evolve this system into a device which, thanks to the software component, can transmit data that the cars can immediately assimilate to develop a prompt response.

The evolution of Pirelli's Cyber Tire

In this sense, in fact, the partnership with Bosch has allowed the tire to speak directly with some active safety systems, such as ESP, traction control and ABS and has allowed Pirelli to apply the Cyber Tire on very high performance cars such as McLaren, Aston Martin and Pagani. However, the Italian company is already looking further ahead, with the aim of bringing its technology to the mass market thanks to agreements with car manufacturers around the world.

Mobility and autonomous driving

However, the data collected by the tire are not the only ones and thanks to advanced interaction they become part of a structure that can generate an ecosystem capable of better understanding the behavior of the car. The basis for the agreement between Pirelli and RIDEsense, a spin-off of the Federico II University of Naples, starts from here. A collaboration based on the concept of sensor fusion: the Cyber ​​Tire algorithms connected to the physical sensor work in tandem with the "virtual" RIDEsense sensors, i.e. software that uses mathematical models to process the data already present on board, estimating complex parameters such as residual grip or the state of wear of the tread.

Smart Roads

And with a view to an increasingly connected future for mobility, Pirelli is also carrying out synergistic work with Movyon, a tech company of the Autostrade per l'Italia Group. The Cyber ​​Tire is used on board vehicles that allow monitoring of motorway conditions. A first step towards connected infrastructures, the so-called Smart Roads where vehicles will be able to communicate directly with the roads. Among the first concrete examples, the Naples ring road, certified as the first smart road in Europe.

The Bari hub

For the collection and processing of data, Pirelli inaugurated the Digital Solutions Center in Bari in 2022, created in collaboration with the University and Polytechnic of the Apulian capital. Here over 80 people work on writing the algorithms that will be used to create connected and shared mobility.

In-depth analysis

Pirelli and Carabinieri, Cyber Tire technology on the Carabinieri's vehicles