Hankook & Company, the holding company of South Korea’s largest tyre maker Hankook Tire & Technology, announced it had signed an agreement with US artificial intelligence (AI) startup MakinaRocks to develop new tyre design technology using AI.
The two companies plan to collaborate on development of an AI model that can automatically design tyre tread patterns. The agreement came after MakinaRocks was selected as the winner of a technology innovation competition held in July by Hankook aimed at encouraging the use of generative AI in tyre design.
Hankook said it had signed a contract with MakinaRocks “to develop an AI model for tyre pattern design generation" with the aim of automatically developing tyre tread patterns and designs that combine performance with aesthetics.
Hankook said it would “create an environment” where AI could learn to develop tyre pattern designs which offer both performance and design by “standardising and quantifying pattern images and developing technologies to collect external data”.
The company planned to establish an "integrated pattern database" which could be accessed by its R&D, design and marketing staff to improve product development.
