Wait... wait... Smart tires? That's a thing? Looks like it is. It's a thing at Lawrence Technological University. It's actually something that encompasses two elective courses over at LTU.
Lawrence Technological University has
introduced the nation's first graduate-level course that deals with the
use of embedded sensors in tires to improve a vehicle's overall
performance.
"Intelligent Tire and Vehicle Structure Mechatronics" is an elective
course in Lawrence Tech's master's degree program in mechatronics
systems engineering.
Using VPG and LS-DYNA software, graduate students analyze responses
of these tires to various loading and road conditions. This approach is
particularly useful in studying the suitability of tire-embedded
sensors for possible physical measurement of the tire response.
Mechatronics -- the name is a combination of mechanics and
electronics -- employs a unique approach that cuts across multiple
academic disciplines such as electrical and computing engineering, math
and computer science. An engineer skilled in mechatronics can create a
seamless and unified system for a specific project that encompasses the
principles of the different disciplines while at the same time
fulfilling the specific requirements of each.