Tire shops are not exactly known for cutting-edge technology. You pull in, hand over your keys and hope the wait does not take over your day. Automated Tire, Inc. wants to change that.

The Boston-based robotics company has unveiled SmartBay, an AI-powered robotic tire change platform built for dealerships, tire shops and service centers. The system handles tire changes, wheel balancing and vehicle inspections with minimal human intervention.

The timing could be good for repair shops. Many are struggling to find technicians, while EVs are putting more demand on tire service because they can wear through tires faster. SmartBay is ATI’s answer to a service-bay problem that has been building for years.

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AI HUMANOID ROBOT IS CHANGING THE WAY YOU BUY CARS AT DEALERSHIPS

What is the SmartBay AI robot tire changer?

SmartBay is a robotic service-bay system that uses physical AI, computer vision and machine learning to perform tire work in real time. Instead of relying on fixed routines, the system adapts to each vehicle.

Andy Chalofsky, CEO of Automated Tire, Inc., describes it as “the next generation of the automotive service bay,” a robotic-first system built to automate routine, physically demanding work that has traditionally required skilled service-bay personnel.

“Rather than relying on a technician to manually remove the wheel, dismount the tire, balance it on traditional equipment, and reinstall everything, SmartBay performs the tire change and wheel balance itself with only light-touch oversight from an operator,” Chalofsky said.

SmartBay is designed to take on the tough tire work technicians usually do by hand. A worker still keeps an eye on the process, but the robot handles most of the lifting, tire changing and balancing.

How SmartBay changes tires without removing the wheels

Here is the part that may surprise you the most. SmartBay leaves the wheel on the car.

“SmartBay is the first patented system in the world that changes tires without removing the wheel from the vehicle. The car is lifted just as it would be on a conventional lift, but instead of taking off the lug nuts, disturbing the tire pressure monitoring system, and pulling the wheel, SmartBay dismounts the tire directly from the rim while the rim stays on the car,” Chalofsky said.

After the new tire is mounted, SmartBay performs ATI’s trademarked Real Force Balance. Chalofsky says the technology balances “the entire wheel-end assembly, including all of the rotating components in the wheel well,” instead of only balancing the tire by itself. He says the result is “the most complete and accurate balance available on the market today.”

Why tire shops need robotic tire-changing technology

Tire appointments can go sideways fast, especially when a shop is short-staffed or one job takes longer than expected.

“Anyone who has spent time in a tire shop knows how quickly a busy day can fall apart: a technician calls in sick, the first car of the morning takes longer than expected, and the appointments stacked behind it back up the entire schedule,” Chalofsky said.

That is the bottleneck SmartBay is designed to ease. ATI says one technician can manage up to three SmartBay-equipped service bays at once. ATI also designed SmartBay to fit inside a standard 12-foot service bay, so shops do not need oversized lanes or major infrastructure changes.

The company says its initial machines are targeting a 45-minute door-to-door tire change for four tires, mounted and balanced. As the technology learns more, that time could be reduced to 30 minutes.

How the AI robot handles different vehicles

SmartBay has to deal with whatever rolls into the service bay that day. “Every vehicle that comes into a service bay is different,” Chalofsky said. “Even within a single model line, those combinations multiply quickly.”

Road grime adds another layer of difficulty. Vehicles may arrive covered in mud, snow, road salt, brake dust or rain, and the system still has to identify what it is working on safely.

Chalofsky says SmartBay handles all of this with “a self-learning AI layer that adapts in real time to hundreds of data points per vehicle.”

That approach takes the kind of judgment technicians build over years and turns it into a repeatable system that can keep learning over time.

How SmartBay could speed up tire service

Speed is a big part of what ATI says SmartBay can bring to an auto service business. Chalofsky says the system creates consistency because it can repeat the same process with less variation from one vehicle to the next.

“A single technician can run two or three SmartBays in parallel, processing roughly 24 tires an hour compared to about four tires in 75 minutes today,” Chalofsky said.

That could help keep the day from getting backed up when appointments start stacking. For customers, it could mean less time waiting around for updates. Chalofsky says the result can be “more billable volume” and “more predictable scheduling” for high-volume service centers. 

BMW PUTS HUMANOID ROBOTS TO WORK BUILDING EVS

Why EV tire wear makes SmartBay more important

EVs are changing what tire shops have to handle. “EVs are reshaping the tire economy. Because of their weight and instant torque, EV tires wear faster and need to be replaced more often,” Chalofsky said. He added that tires are now “the single largest lifetime maintenance expense on most EVs,” taking the place of routine costs like oil and filters.

That is a big shift for drivers. EV owners may end up visiting tire shops more often. If shops already struggle with staffing, that extra demand could make the waiting-room problem worse.

ATI believes SmartBay can help shops handle more tire work without needing the same increase in labor. Chalofsky says the system can work across different vehicle classes because “a Tesla, an F-150, and a Chevy Silverado all run through the same system.”

Will robotic tire changers replace technicians?

This is the question everyone asks when robotics enters a hands-on job. Chalofsky answers it head-on. “Both, but mostly the latter,” he said when asked whether SmartBay replaces technicians or changes the work they do.

He says SmartBay can take over repetitive tire tasks where robotics can work more efficiently. But he also argues that it can make existing workers more valuable.

“In many cases, it allows a shop to take a lower-skilled operator and get three to four times the throughput out of them, which means shops can actually pay those operators more because the work is more valuable,” Chalofsky said.

The bigger picture here is that skilled mechanics could spend less time lifting tires and more time on diagnostic or mechanical work that needs their expertise.

“Every wave of automation we’ve seen in adjacent industries has played out the same way: technology augments the workforce far more than it replaces it, and that’s the dynamic we expect here,” Chalofsky said. 

How SmartBay could make tire service safer

Tire work is physical. Heavy wheel assemblies can strain backs, shoulders and knees, especially over a long shift. Chalofsky says SmartBay can help reduce those risks.

“Because SmartBay leaves the rim on the vehicle, technicians are no longer lifting heavy, expensive wheel assemblies on and off mounting machines. This eliminates one of the most common sources of strain injuries and workers’ compensation claims in tire work,” he said.

He added that the equipment includes sensors designed to help it operate safely around people in a busy service bay. SmartBay also connects deployed systems through a network, allowing one unit to learn from another. 

Chalofsky gave the example of a specific F-150 trim package seen for the first time in California. That data could train every machine in Boston and Florida in near real time. The goal is a system that gets smarter as more shops use it.

What drivers may notice with AI tire service

Most drivers probably will not care how much AI is working behind the scenes. They will care about the part they feel right away: how long the visit takes and how well the car drives afterward.

Chalofsky says consistency will stand out most. “The biggest thing customers would notice is consistency: a faster, more predictable visit, with their car in and out in a defined window rather than depending on which technician happens to be working that day,” he said.

He also says Real Force Balance could help deliver a better ride because it balances the full wheel assembly, rather than only the tire. SmartBay’s automated visual inspection can also check parts inside the wheel well and flag issues a busy technician might overlook.

For drivers, that could mean a smoother tire visit from start to finish. For shops, it gives them another way to show customers exactly what was checked and why it matters. 

HUMANOID ROBOT SWAPS ITS OWN BATTERY TO WORK 24/7

Why ATI started with automated tire changes

Tires may not sound like the most exciting place to start, but they are one of the most common reasons people visit service centers. They also make a strong case for automation because the work is frequent, physically demanding and hard to staff.

“Tire changes and wheel balancing check nearly every box for a first product. It’s one of the most frequent reasons a vehicle comes into a service bay, it’s a high-dollar transaction, the work is physically arduous and exactly the kind of task a robotic-first platform is well suited to handle, and the labor shortage is most acute precisely in this part of the workforce,” Chalofsky said.

He points to EV growth, retiring technicians and broad demand across dealerships, aftermarket shops and fleets. ATI also has a personal connection to the problem. Chalofsky is a fourth-generation tire industry entrepreneur and previously founded several tire businesses, including SimpleTire. 

That background gives ATI firsthand knowledge of how tire shops actually operate. Rather than chasing a flashy robotics use case, the company is applying tire-industry experience to a long-running bottleneck.

What this means to you

If you own a gas car, hybrid or EV, this kind of technology could make a tire appointment feel like less of a waiting game. A robotic tire system could help shops move cars through faster when appointments start piling up. It could also make balancing more consistent, which may help your car ride more smoothly after service.

EV owners may feel the impact sooner. Heavier electric vehicles can wear through tires faster, and replacement costs can add up quickly. If shops can handle more tire work without longer waits, EV maintenance could become a little less frustrating.

SmartBay could also change the job for technicians. Instead of spending as much time on the most physically demanding tire work, they could shift more toward oversight and higher-skill repairs.

For service centers, the payoff is steadier operations. When one technician can oversee multiple bays, a busy day may be less likely to turn into a long backup. 

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Kurt’s key takeaways

SmartBay is one of those things that makes you wonder why tire service has not changed more by now. Cars have become far more advanced, but many tire shops still rely on the same tough manual process drivers have dealt with for years. ATI is betting that physical AI can help the service bay catch up with the vehicles coming into it. The real test will be what happens on a packed Saturday morning when every bay is full, and customers are watching the clock. Robots can look impressive in a demo. The real question is whether they can hold up in busy service bays and make tire appointments less of a headache for drivers.

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Would you trust an AI robot to change and balance your tires if it meant a faster visit and a smoother ride? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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OpenAI is launching Daybreak, an AI initiative focused on detecting and patching vulnerabilities before attackers find them. Daybreak uses the Codex Security AI agent that launched in March to create a threat model based on an organization’s code and focus on possible attack paths, validate likely vulnerabilities, and then automate the detection of the higher risk ones.

Its launch comes just over a month after rival Anthropic announced Claude Mythos, a security-focused AI model it claimed was too dangerous to publicly release and only shared privately as a part of its own initiative, dubbed Project Glasswing. Still, that didn’t stop at least a few unauthorized parties from getting access.

However, OpenAI has so far lacked a similar security product. Like Glasswing, Daybreak isn’t built on just one AI model — OpenAI says “Daybreak brings together the most capable OpenAI models, Codex, and our security partners.”

Daybreak also involves specialized cyber models, including GPT-5.5 with Trusted Access for Cyber and GPT-5.5-Cyber, which began rolling out last week. OpenAI also says it’s working with its “industry and government partners” while it prepares to “deploy increasingly more cyber-capable models.”

Taking a driverless robotaxi to the airport still feels a bit scary for many people. Riders get into the vehicle and may find themselves intently watching the steering wheel move on its own, hoping with every turn that the trip goes as smoothly as the company promises. But for one California passenger, the ride ended with a very real travel nightmare.

Di Jin reportedly took his first Waymo ride from Sunnyvale, California, to San José Mineta International Airport for a business trip.

The ride itself seemed to go smoothly. Then he got to the airport and tried to grab his suitcase from the trunk. That is when things went sideways.

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WHY LAST YEAR’S BREACH IS THIS YEAR’S IDENTITY FRAUD

Waymo drove off with his suitcase at the airport drop-off

Jin told reporters that he got out of the Waymo at the airport and tried to open the trunk. He said he pressed the trunk button, but nothing happened. Then, he said, the driverless car pulled away with his suitcase still inside. That left him standing at the airport without his bag, his change of clothes or his work notes.

For anyone who travels for work, that is the kind of moment that makes your stomach drop. You are watching your ride disappear, but there is no driver to flag down. There is no person at the wheel to hear you. There is only the app, the support line and a car that may already be heading somewhere else.

What Waymo reportedly told the passenger

Jin said he called Waymo customer service right away. According to reports on the incident, he was told the vehicle was already on its way to a depot and could not be turned around. Later, Waymo reportedly emailed him to say his luggage had been safely secured at a Waymo depot.

That solved one part of the problem. The suitcase was found. But getting it back became another headache. Waymo is said to have initially offered to send the luggage to him, but would not cover shipping or courier fees. The company also reportedly offered him two free rides so he could go to and from the depot himself.

Jin pushed back. He said the situation was not his mistake. Waymo eventually agreed to cover the shipping cost, and Jin accepted that solution.

Waymo’s response to the suitcase incident

Waymo did not comment on the specific incident when contacted by CyberGuy. However, Waymo’s own help pages explain how the trunk is supposed to work. The company says riders can open the trunk by pressing the trunk release button above the license plate or by tapping “Open trunk” in the app. Waymo also says that at the rider’s destination, the trunk will automatically open when the rider exits the vehicle. Waymo also notes that the trunk may not open if a rider exits before the vehicle has officially pulled over and ended the trip.

Waymo’s lost and found page also says its support team will try to reunite riders with items left in a vehicle. Although the company says it cannot guarantee that items will be found, delivered immediately or returned undamaged. Waymo also says it isn’t responsible for items left behind after a trip ends and does not provide reimbursement for the value of lost items.

That policy is exactly why this story is getting attention. Jin’s issue was not simply that he forgot a bag. His claim is that he tried to retrieve it and could not get the trunk open before the vehicle left.

Why the Waymo suitcase story hits a nerve

Airport trips already come with enough stress. You are watching the clock. You are thinking about security lines, boarding time and whether you packed your charger. Now add a driverless car that leaves with your suitcase. The technology may be advanced, but the problem is incredibly ordinary. A passenger needed his bag, the trunk did not open as expected, and customer support became the only option.

With a human driver, you might knock on the trunk, wave or ask them to wait. With a robotaxi, the whole experience depends on software, sensors, app controls and remote support. Most riders may never have a problem. Still, when something does go wrong at an airport, a small glitch can turn into a major travel mess.

Waymo airport rides are becoming more common

Waymo has been expanding its airport service, and San José Mineta International Airport became a key part of that push in November 2025, when SJC announced it was the first commercial, international airport in California to offer fully autonomous ride-hailing to travelers.

Waymo has also described airport service as a major step for its ride-hailing business. Waymo’s website lists several current and upcoming service areas, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Antonio, Austin and other cities. 

That makes customer support more important, not less. If driverless rides are going to become normal for airport travel, riders need to know what happens when the trip doesn’t go smoothly.

AI AIR TRAFFIC SYSTEM PROMISES FEWER FLIGHT DELAYS

What this means to you

If you use a Waymo or any robotaxi for an airport ride, treat the trip as unfinished until every bag is in your hand. Do not assume the trunk will open automatically. Keep the app open as you arrive. Tap the trunk button before you fully walk away from the car. If the trunk does not open, contact support right away and stay near the vehicle if it is safe to do so.

Also, think carefully about what goes in the trunk. Keep your wallet, passport, medication, laptop, keys and work documents with you in the cabin. A suitcase can be replaced. Your ID, prescriptions or work files can create a much bigger problem. This doesn’t mean you should avoid Waymo. We’re not saying that. It just means you should understand the limits of a driverless system before using one for a time-sensitive trip.

How to avoid losing luggage in a robotaxi

If you are using a driverless ride for an airport trip, a few small habits can help prevent a suitcase problem from becoming a travel disaster.

1) Keep essentials inside the cabin

Put your ID, wallet, medication, laptop and chargers in a small bag that stays with you. Do not place anything critical in the trunk.

2) Open the trunk before ending the ride

At drop-off, use the app or trunk release button before you close the door and step away. Make sure the suitcase is out before you move on.

3) Keep the app open on arrival

Do not lock your phone or put it away as you pull up to the terminal. You may need the app to open the trunk or contact support.

4) Take a quick photo of your luggage

If you put a bag in the trunk, take a quick photo before the ride starts. That can help if you need to describe what was inside the vehicle.

5) Report the problem immediately

If your belongings remain inside the car, contact support right away. Waymo says its support team can help with lost items, though it does not guarantee immediate delivery or reimbursement.

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AIRPORT ROBOTS HANDLE BAGGAGE IN TOKYO TRIAL

Kurt’s key takeaways

Driverless taxis are becoming part of everyday travel. For many riders, they are convenient, quiet and surprisingly normal after a few minutes. But airport rides are different. People are rushed. A suitcase can hold your work laptop, medication, clothes and the things you need as soon as you land. A short delay can cause a missed flight, a lost meeting or a very expensive replacement run. That is what makes this story stand out. Waymo’s cars may drive themselves, but the company still has to handle messy human problems quickly. When a trunk does not open, riders need more than a policy page. They need fast help, clear answers and a solution that does not make them feel blamed for a system failure. The future success of robotaxis will take more than safe driving. Companies also need to respond quickly when something goes wrong.

Would you trust a driverless taxi with your suitcase on the way to the airport, or would you keep every bag with you inside the vehicle until you reached the curb? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.

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