Bridgestone teams up with Microsoft to develop a world-first monitory system for detecting tire damage issues in real-time.

Through its partnership with Microsoft, Bridgestone has developed a unique Tire Damage Monitoring System, using Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform (MCVP). The system aims to increase road safety and reduce accidents caused by technical failure.

The final piece in tracking tire issues

Tire issues take four main forms: inadequate pressure, fatigue, irregular wear, and lastly, damage from curbs, potholes, or items on the road.

Fortunately, most of these issues can already be reliably mitigated against. TPMS (tire pressure monitoring systems) have been mandatory in all cars built since 2012, and help motorists avoid low-pressure problems. Regular service and replacing tires in time will guard against wear and fatigue.

The exception, and safety gap, has been tire damage – which often cannot be detected without close, manual inspection, and which can potentially occur at any time. Damaged tires can lead to accidents. They can also adversely affect other vehicle components, such as causing damage to the wheels, and thus create a further source of potential danger to motorists.

Now that gap can be closed. Bridgestone’s Tire Damage Monitoring System delivers real-time awareness of damage. It uses MCVP’s cloud framework together with existing sensor data, from hardware that is already installed, and uses algorithms to detect events affecting the tire surface and carcass. The driver can then be immediately notified of the hazard and act accordingly to remedy the situation. There is currently no other equivalent monitoring system available in the market. Alternatives would require extra hardware to be installed.
Moving forward

This tire damage monitoring system has other valuable applications. The system not only understands when damage has occurred, but also where. It thus allows broader insight into road conditions and infrastructure, which can be used to alert the agencies responsible for road damage issues to the presence and location of potholes and other hazards. Future autonomous vehicles could also be beneficiaries of the system – as vehicles pass information about local hazards to others in the vicinity, as well as cloud data stores.

Currently, Bridgestone’s new Tire Damage Monitoring System is available to all vehicle fleets and OEM’s that use MCVP. The partnership with Microsoft also enables Bridgestone to further develop its solution to meet the requirements of fleets and key OEM partners around the world.

A digital partnership for the future of mobility

Laurent Dartoux, CEO and President of Bridgestone EMIA, says: “Digital is such a huge part of what we do today at Bridgestone; it’s imperative that we work with industry-leading partners who can support our needs today and in the future. By teaming up with Microsoft, we have the opportunity to bring our Tire Damage Monitoring System to millions of drivers, offering them better safety and peace of mind.”

“Microsoft partners with mobility companies to support their transformation into smart mobility services providers. With the Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform, our mission is to help businesses accelerate the delivery of safe and personalized connected mobility experiences. Using MCVP, Bridgestone has created Tire Damage Monitoring System that offers a remarkable contribution to road safety and proves how the collaboration between industry leaders can unlock new business opportunities ahead”, said Tara Prakriya, General Manager, Azure Mobility and Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform at Microsoft.

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Bridgestone, Microsoft to develop intelligent tire Monitoring system