Goodyear Eagle-360 Spherical Concept Tire Brings Magnetic Levitation to the Game

Putting things in a basic way, the Eagle-360 is an intelligent rubber ball with a metal core. Goodyear imagined that it could be held in place thanks to multiple electromagnets that would also act as a magnetic suspension.

The idea is quite cool and eliminates some of the drawbacks the current suspensions come with... generating others, naturally. The spherical shape of the tire and the fact that it is not connected to the vehicle using any hard parts allows silent operation and 360-degree rotation, with an enormous increment in mobility.

Steering would be magnetic, and the intelligent systems on a vehicle would also communicate with the tire, gathering data on the road surface quality, weather conditions, tire wear, and even the need to adjust the pressure to ensure the best grip.

The outer surface of the tire can be 3D printed and, therefore, easily adapted to the particularities of the roads in any part of the world. Even so, with the constant monitoring of the tread, the tire longevity could be prolonged, as the vehicle's computer would make sure to use it evenly in all conditions.

Goodyear also imagined a compound in the tire grooves that acts like a sponge, becoming hard on dry roads and malleable when wet, absorbing the water and ejecting it through centrifugal force.

Right now, the first issues that come to mind are controlling the magnetic field, establishing a wireless connection that is unaffected by this field, and, of course, developing batteries or other power sources powerful enough to keep everything running for more than hours.

Wonder how the Goodyear Eagle-360 concept tire could be used on motorcycles and how the centrifugal force would be counteracted. Can motorcycles actually use anything but wheels, at least until the Star Wars speeders become real?