Change me says the tyre
US engineers have developed a smart tyre that tells drivers when it needs replacing or inflating. Wen Ko, an engineer at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and a team at the tyre manufacturing company Goodyear, which was led by William Dunn, have designed and patented tiny pressure and temperature sensors that rely on microscopic components known as microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Sensors that use MEMS technology are cheap, reliable and remain stable over the life of the tyre, which is estimated to be around 10-12 years. The pressure sensor is a tiny capacitor made from two parallel silicon plates. The thinner top plate changes shape depending on the air pressure in the tyre, which produces a calculable change in the capacitance of the device.
Related Content
- Directions Issued under section 18 (1)(b) of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 regarding prevention, control or abatement of air pollution and improvement of Ambient Air Quality in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR)
- Goa: Back to square one
- Green salute
- Rising trend
- The value-addition of a clean-up
- Science of the Common people