Following real-world validation and data-driven development, Polyn Technology, a developer of in neuromorphic technology, has announced that it has taped out a VibroSense Tire Monitoring Solution engineering chip featuring an analogue neuromorphic core for use in tyre-road friction monitoring. Taping out refers to the final stage of the design process for integrated circuits or printed circuit boards before they are sent for manufacturing.
This is Polyn’s first chip, developed in cooperation with GlobalFoundries, and the company believes it will help accelerate the adoption of intelligent, physics-aware sensing technologies for next-generation ADAS and autonomous driving platforms, such as
The VibroSense Tire Monitoring Solution, which can be integrated with a standard TPMS, leverages neural networks to process high-frequency sensor data for tyre-road friction estimation. The system is trained on diverse driving conditions to estimate the peak friction coefficient (PFC) in real time, enabling predictive insight into road grip before critical events such as braking occur.
According to Polyn, it has validated the performance of the ultra-low-power chip through controlled braking scenarios, and correlation with industry benchmarks, to demonstrate “strong alignment” with real-world friction behaviour across standard road surfaces, including asphalt, concrete, and aquaplaning conditions.
The technology is engineered to maintain reliable performance under complex and non-ideal driving conditions, such as wet roads or uneven terrain, providing stable estimates with confidence-aware outputs.
The VibroSense Tire Monitoring Solution is a unique ultra-low-power chip designed to enable smart tires. Integrated with a standard TPMS, it can recognise tyre-road friction changes and allows alerts to be sent to the vehicle’s Advanced Driving Assistance Systems, increasing driving safety.
“There is strong and growing interest in sensor data pre-processing implemented in silicon for automotive applications,” said Aleksandr Timofeev, CEO of Polyn. “This tape out marks an important milestone in NASP [Neuromorphic Analog Signal Processing] chip development and furthers our mission to unlock new opportunities for advanced vehicle systems with VibroSense – an energy-efficient neuromorphic sensing solution.”
Polyn’s advanced neural network compiler and customised EDA flow generate the neural core layout for the VibroSense chip, incorporating thousands of neurons, weight matrices, and interconnections. NASP technology utilises analogue neurons for signal processing in an asynchronous mode, resulting in low power consumption and low inference latency.
This enables deployment of the VibroSense chip within the tyre, which Polyn says makes it an industry-first practical solution for direct road sensing.
Timofeev added that Polyn is actively collaborating with Tier 1 suppliers and automotive OEMs seeking to obtain real-time tyre-road friction estimates directly from the tyre. He also stated that indirect calculations and virtual sensors cannot provide the required accuracy under rapidly changing road conditions, particularly in autonomous driving scenarios.
