TECH

SmartBay: The robot that changes and balances tires in minutes with (almost) no human hands

Automation and artificial intelligence are being applied to an increasing number of aspects within the automotive sector, ranging from manufacturing to the vehicles themselves and their maintenance. Eventually, tire changes requiring human intervention could become a thing of the past.

The American company Automated Tire has introduced SmartBay—an AI-powered robot capable of changing car tires without removing the wheel, while also ensuring subsequent balancing. It not only requires fewer human operators (just one for every three machines) but also enhances safety by eliminating the need for humans to handle the wheels and tires, while delivering greater precision and consistency.

The tech firm states that by eliminating minor, time-consuming tasks, the workflow speeds up—reducing the process time from 45 to 30 minutes. It promises the capacity to service 24 tires per hour. According to Fox News, this solution is designed to be leased to dealerships, maintenance centers, and specialized tire shops.

Andy Chalofsky, CEO of Automated Tire, noted that the entire process requires only light supervision from an operator, while the robot handles the "heavy lifting." The robot utilizes artificial intelligence and is capable of learning, allowing it to adapt to the varying characteristics and conditions of different vehicles.

The executive describes SmartBay as "the world's first patented system that changes tires without removing the wheel from the vehicle." It simply dismounts the tire from the rim—without taking off the entire wheel—after lifting the car on a standard lift. Afterward, the entire wheel assembly is balanced using Automated Tire's own technology: Real Force Balance.

Chalofsky explained: "Anyone who has spent time in a tire shop knows how hectic a day can get: a technician takes leave, the first car of the morning takes longer than expected, and subsequent appointments throw the whole schedule off." There are pros... and cons... If adopted on a mass scale, a robot that changes tires with minimal human intervention could allow companies to serve more customers—and thus earn more money—while requiring less manpower. This could be beneficial for cutting labor costs and addressing technician shortages. However, it could also have the unintended effect of threatening to eliminate tasks currently performed by humans. For car owners getting their tires changed, there is a potential time-saving benefit.

With the SmartBay platform, automotive dealerships and tire and service centers can shift from manual, variable service processes to a technology-first system that understands, adapts and executes complex physical tasks in real time. SmartBay uses advanced robotics, computer vision, and machine learning to generate the proper execution for each vehicle with precision, rather than relying on pre-programmed routines, which require manual intervention for outliers and real-world variables. 

"While the auto industry has made great strides with advanced technologies over recent decades, automotive service bays have seen little innovation to match," said Andy Chalofsky, Chief Executive Officer, Automated Tire, Inc. "Most notably, electric vehicles wear through tires up to 30% faster. The proliferation of EVs creates significantly more tire service opportunities, but tire technician jobs are dirty, injury-prone, and difficult to fill. Our SmartBay platform gives modern shops a meaningful solution to turn a dangerous, manual chore into a high-tech, automated process that matches the sophistication of the vehicles being serviced."

The proprietary SmartBay platform:

-Enables a single technician to manage up to three service bays simultaneously, cutting the time required for a full tire service roughly in half, to as little as 30 minutes

-Works across most consumer vehicles, performing a unique execution for each vehicle, managing real-world variability without human intervention

-Minimizes material waste and delivers a superior ride quality with its precision wheel-weight tool that dispenses the exact amount of weight composite required for the industry's most accurate balance

And, fits entirely within a standard 12-foot service bay, maintaining full bay functionality and flexibility across other services when needed.

SmartBay addresses three primary concerns in the automotive service industry: an ongoing and increasing labor shortage; automation of tire changes, the most injury-prone aspect of routine automotive service; and increasing service bay throughput by significantly reducing the time required for tire changes.

According to a report from the National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA), the industry faces a shortage of at least 37,000 new technicians annually, as seasoned technicians retire and fewer young professionals enter the trade. This shortage leaves shop owners trapped in a cycle of understaffing and expensive retraining. That perpetual cycle worsens as high turnover leads to potentially inconsistent service quality and even more grueling wait times that frustrate customers and compress profit margins.

How SmartBay works...Once a vehicle is positioned, the system automatically initiates inspection, identifying tire and wheel conditions while capturing diagnostic data. The robotic system then executes the tire change and wheel balancing process, removing and reinstalling tires with consistent accuracy while simultaneously calculating and applying precise wheel weights to ensure optimal balance.

Throughout the process, SmartBay continuously collects and analyzes data, generating real-time insights and customer-facing reports while optimizing each step for efficiency. By combining automated inspection, tire handling, balancing, and data intelligence into a single seamless workflow, SmartBay reduces manual intervention, increases throughput, and delivers faster, more consistent service outcomes.

by Autonews