When the first wheel was developed in around 3500BC it was a simple, curved piece of wood. Later, strips of leather were added to the wood in an effort to make the ride softer and eventually leather was replaced by solid rubber which worked well enough when the cars could only manage a very slow speed.

By 1888, the Benz’s first gasoline car had metal tyres with an air-filled rubber cover and treads were introduced in 1905. Then the air-filled low-pressure balloon tyre appeared in 1923 and the industrialisation of synthetic rubber in 1931 heralded a major increase in tyre production.

In 1934, a Finnish company developed specific winter tyres and by 1947, the tubeless tyre had been developed which reduced vehicle weight and improved fuel economy.

During the 1950s, radial tyres appeared and by 1979, the run flat tyre meant that vehicles could continue to be driven for around 50 miles with a puncture – ideally long enough to get home or to a garage.

Today, drivers have a sophisticated choice of summer, winter, all season, 4×4, runflat, energy-saving, and performance tyres, all constructed from natural and synthetic rubber polymers in addition to fillers usually comprising of chalk, silica or carbon, plasticiser and various chemicals. Clearly they’ve come a long way from strips of leather.

In an increasingly digitised world, the digitalisation of car tyres was perhaps an inevitability, and now Pirelli and Bosch have agreed to jointly develop the next iteration of tyre technology in the intelligent or smart tyre. The joint venture will combine Pirelli’s in-tyre sensor technology and Bosch’s software and hardware to create data-driven, software controlled car features that are adaptable to various driving conditions to optimise use of the tyres’ specific capabilities.

Highly advanced integrated sensor technology in the tyres themselves connects to the vehicle’s electronic systems, capturing key metrics enabling it – crucially in real time – to enhance stability and traction control and optimise the ABS braking system.

Named the Cyber Tyre, the aim is that driving dynamics, comfort and safety will improve by tailoring the power applied by the car thanks to Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) – as well as benefitting the environment by reducing the amount of waste microplastics shed by the tyres as they adapt to road conditions throughout the journey.

No timeline has been given for the introduction of smart tyre use in mainstream car production but initially, they are bound to come at a premium.