Nexen Tire develops AI-based tech for road surface detection

Nexen Tire Corp. on Monday said it developed technology for road surface detection and analysis of tire braking distance using artificial intelligence (AI) and big data.

Jointly with Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Corp. and Inha University under an industry-academia research project, Nexen Tire gathered big data on noise from the proximity of vehicular tires to develop technology for automatic detection of road surface environments.

First, AI and big data technology is used to collect external noise from a range of road surface conditions like dry and wet on concrete and new and old asphalt roads. The company has applied for a patent on technology using this data to detect road surfaces and connect them to tire-braking traits.

Technology was previously limited in enabling a vehicle's control center to detect road conditions using road surface noise. This Nexen Tire-developed tool, however, uses tire noise data featuring 300,000 factors in external environments through 250 road tests on an array of surfaces, with big data allowing for the prediction of conditions of rain-soaked roads and tire wear.

This technology will allow self-driving vehicles to optimize vehicle control performance through automatic analysis of friction characteristics between road surfaces and vehicles.

"Road surface detection using AI and big data not only offers customer convenience but increases safety through optimal driving conditions through alerts on tire replacement and optimal driving conditions," said Nexen Tire.

"Through technology and innovative services, we will make a world of mobility that everyone can enjoy."

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com