Where the Rubber Reads the Road: Tire Makers Aim for Real-Time Data Streams for Autonomous Vehicles

Tire manufacturers hope to play a critical role in feeding real-time information to self-driving vehicles, though first the companies will have to beat technical limitations and difficulties around data integration.

Companies like Goodyear Tire & Rubber and Bridgestone aim to equip the tires of autonomous vehicles with sensors that can gather and relay data on friction and road conditions, helping the vehicles decide, for instance, how fast to take a turn or how soon to start braking.