Goodyear develops spherical tire concept

In the 2004 movie I, Robot, Will Smith drove a science-fictional 2035 model year Audi with spherical wheels. At the Geneva Motor Show this year, that fantasy took a step closer to reality with the Goodyear Eagle-360.

Goodyear, the Ohio-based tire company, has created a spherical tire. Called the Eagle-360, the tires are actually high tech wheels fully encased in rubber. A hypothetical car using them would hover above the four orbs, never touching them.

Instead, the tires would be “suspended” by electromagnetic force, much in the same way a mag-lev train works. Goodyear believes the benefits are many. With no physical contact between the car and the wheels, the ride would be improved and road noise reduced.

Their spherical shape also allows for a larger contact patch and the ability to rotate or turn in any direction instantaneously. During turns and other evasive maneuvers like passing, the car itself would experience zero body roll, and the nose never needs to point in any direction but straight ahead. The tires would also be able to change their direction of rotation when onboard sensors detect a particular “equator” of tread is running low.

In addition the wheels would be able to turn independently of each other at almost any angle, leading to heretofore unseen handling benefits. Parking, also, would be made significantly easier as cars would be able to slide into much tighter spaces. Goodyear says that parking lots would be able to fit many more cars than existing lots on the same footprint.

Since each tire is computer controlled, they can also automatically send road condition data to other tires. The tread design has a water-sensitive webbing that softens when it encounters moisture, creating a deeper channel for water to pass through. When dry, the webbing stiffens for better roadholding ability.

All of this sounds very impressive, but it appears to be just a concept at this point. We’ll likely have to wait quite a few years for real-world applicability. Watch the video below for a virtual demo of the spherical tire’s benefits.