While autonomous cars and semi-trucks are preparing to go mainstream, Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli is not holding itself back from advancing in this tech era, as it plans to pair the sensors in its tires with a system that would help improve road safety.
Pirelli has acquired a 30% stake in Swedish tech firm Univrses and signed a new agreement with the same company to develop an enhanced road monitoring system.
Univrses’ 3DAI technologies will be integrated into Pirelli’s Cyber Tyre system solutions to develop a system that could aid ADAS and autonomous driving technologies by delivering timely and accurate data.
Through the integration of technologies, a car will learn more about its environment and map the region it operates in, which will help report potential motoring hazards to concerned authorities.
Pirelli to Pair Its Tire Sensors With 3DAI Software to Offer Perception Capabilities
Pirelli’s Cyber Tyre technology boasts several features that are a first in the world. Describing the capabilities, a press release stated:
“In particular, Pirelli Cyber Tyre, which is the world’s first integrated hardware and software system capable of collecting data from sensors inside the tyres, process the information collected using Pirelli’s proprietary software and algorithms, and communicate in real time with the vehicle’s electronics and with the cloud, enhancing cars’ safety systems and permitting to monitor road infrastructures’ status.”
Now, the scope of Cyber Tyre has been widened through an integration with Univrses’ 3DAI software, which involves the use of cameras. The system is designed to provide autonomous vehicles with perception capabilities, including Spatial Deep Learning, 3D Positioning, and 3D Mapping.
It is as if the car has received a new pair of eyes, as it gets a feel of the road through the sensors in the tires. Pirelli confirmed that the technology is already in use in Italy’s Puglia region by the regional road network to create an “up-to-date map of infrastructure conditions.”
“The system provides analyses based on data collected by tyres and processed through the Cyber Tyre platform, together with visual data collected via cameras and interpreted using Univrses technology,” the release added.
Pirelli states that this technology will be useful for a range of road management projects, as the data gathered will help road authorities to make better decisions and deploy resources accordingly. This will eventually help reduce road accidents and potentially save lives.
Speaking about Pirelli’s partnership with Univrses, Pirelli Chief Executive Officer, Andrea Casaluci, said:
“The agreement with Univrses further enhances our Cyber Tyre™ platform, thanks to advanced AI‑based artificial vision technologies. The collaboration between Pirelli and Univrses will make a significant contribution to the ongoing transformation of cars into true software‑defined vehicles.”
Univrses CEO, Jonathan Selbie, added:
“Continuous monitoring and data are becoming the new foundation for infrastructure asset management, and Univrses technology is able to provide powerful analytical capabilities based on reliable and frequently updated data. In this context, we are pleased to welcome Pirelli as an investor and to take our partnership to the next level: we will join forces to deliver increasingly advanced services and products.”