At the North American Commercial Vehicle show in Atlanta, ConMet introduced the SmartHub, an intelligent wheel end that will allow drivers and fleet managers to monitor the health of a wheel end in real time.

SmartHub, still in development, will offer real-time data on important hub functions to help improve safety and maintenance. The SmartHub contains embedded sensors that will measure and transmit data on wheel end health indicators, including hub temperature, lubricant level, hub vibration, speed, miles traveled, spindle nut torque readings, hub load, and bolt tension.

“ConMet’s SmartHub is being developed with the purpose of providing better prognostic capabilities around the health of the wheel end. As market trends, like autonomous vehicles and commercial vehicle platooning continue to grow, this self-monitoring, predictive technology will be critical to the safety of the wheel end,” said Beto Dantas, vice president of innovation, strategy, and marketing at ConMet.

The data will be available for viewing at any time, and drivers and fleet managers will be immediately alerted to any variations outside of the acceptable operational parameters.

“Knowing and tracking these details becomes a tremendous advantage in predicting and preventing downtime,” said Dantas.