Goodyear has worked with autonomous trucking tech firm Gatik in Canada to prove that intelligent tires using its SightLine technology can communicate road conditions to the autonomous driving system.

Tire-road friction information is relayed in real time to Gatik’s automated driving system, enabling it to adjust driving accordingly for better and safer performance in slippery conditions. Gatik is targeting the B2B shorthaul segment and currently has unmanned trucks delivering for Loblaw.

Goodyear said in a release its SightLine tires continuously measure tire sensor-derived information and communicate it to the autonomous driving system. In tests, friction estimates from Goodyear’s SightLine detected low-grip conditions and passed it along to the Gatik system.

The companies say this provides smoother, safer, and more sustainable driving. Acceleration speeds and following distances can be adjusted based on these road conditions. Goodyear says it will also deploy its SightLine technology on certain OE vehicles in the near future.

“The tire is the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and this new level of data sophistication can communicate vital information to the vehicle, enhancing safety and performance,” said Chris Helsel, Goodyear’s senior vice-president, global operations and chief technology officer. “This is another step to evolve the tire to not only deliver its core, traditional job but also be a nexus of new data and information.”