Bridgestone Middle East & Africa (MEA), the regions leading tyre brand, continues to innovate its tyres to address the necessities of cars of the future, which includes autonomous vehicles, amid the constant transformation of international mobility.

Bridgestones most latest innovation is the Smart Strain Sensor technology, which is outfitted with the Internet of Things (IoT) tools. Through this feature, the vehicle owner can track tyre inflation pressure and temperature as well as measure the dynamic change in the strain that occurs when a tyre is in use. Additionally, the data produced through the sensor can be transmitted to other drivers on the road, thereby preventing any untoward incident such as accidents. This technology is seen to result in enhanced vehicle and road safety and improved productivity for fleets.

Reaffirming its dedication to constant product innovation, the organization stressed that it would gradually make investments its assets and time to make sure that the tyre of the future it has anticipated will become a reality.

Stefano Sanchini, Regional Managing Director, Bridgestone MEA, stated: Amid the rising demand for higher and safer mobility, the future of the roads lies in connected cars, which, together with autonomous, shared, and electric vehicles, combine to make CASE. To increase their performance and safety, the tyre industry has developed accordingly. At Bridgestone, we proceed to utilize tyre sensors to enable an autonomous car predict the type of surface being driven on, allow it to deal with punctures besides input from the user, and capture information to determine the driving style vis-a-vis the tyre condition. Also, via predictive modelling, drivers can better estimate the mileage left to fix their tyres for more efficiency.

Sanchini was a panelist in the Middle East Smart Mobility held in Dubai. In the events panel discussion titled MENAs autonomous road map: the recent vision, goals, and challenges for autonomous vehicles in the region, he shared Bridgestones vision to radically change the features and function of tyres. The company objectives to make tyres not just a point of contact between the vehicle and the road, but additionally permit it to acquire data for optimized vehicle performance and safety, increased sturdiness and fuel efficiency, and minimized downtime. He also talked about Bridgestones present day innovations and plans as well as his ideas on the impact of autonomous vehicles and the ongoing mobility transformation in the vicinity and the world.

The company is currently concerned in the improvement of and perfecting its connected and air-free tyre concepts. Since 2019, it has already been equipping its new product lines of commercial tyres with an electronic tyre tagging system and data-gathering light sensors to enable real-time updates on tyre health and performance. Still on the works are its air-free concept and run-flat technology.

Made of resilient materials, which includes the company-developed high-strength rubber, for longer wear life, Bridgestone tyres have a low rolling resistance that has been decreased by 21 per cent. Reduced rolling resistance has an added benefit for electrical vehicles, in that it can prolong battery life and expand the vehicles driving range.