The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced it has developed and is testing a custom-engineered non-pneumatic (airless) tire (NPT) to support Starship delivery robots. Starship Technologies, a Goodyear Ventures portfolio company, builds and operates a network of over 1,000 last mile autonomous robots that carry and deliver packages, groceries and food directly to customers. To address Starship's request related to tire health and maintenance, Goodyear developed a specially engineered airless tire designed to extend tire life and reduce maintenance activities for Starship's delivery fleet.

Goodyear and Starship have entered an in-field testing phase at Bowling Green State University to evaluate vehicle and tire dependencies. Early on-vehicle tire testing data has shown positive results with respect to treadwear, braking and vibration dampening.