Patent ID: 8336912

Claim:
A tire-based system adapted for use with a vehicle comprising a plurality of tires and performing a lateral maneuver upon a surface, wherein the tires and surface cooperatively present a net friction force and the maneuver is performed in a first direction, said system comprising: at least one low friction component communicatively coupled to at least a portion of the tires, selectively shiftable between engaged and disengaged conditions relative to the surface, and configured to reduce the friction force, when in the engaged condition; and an actuator drivenly coupled to said at least one component and operable to cause the component to selectively achieve the engaged condition, when activated, wherein the actuator includes at least one expandable bladder operable to selectively cause said at least one component to be extended and retracted, so as to achieve the engaged and disengaged conditions, respectively, and each tire presents an external surface, a plurality of components are disposed within the surface, and the actuator includes a plurality of discrete bladders, each operable to selectively cause the components to be extended past the surface when inflated.