This article is by Sarah Chea and read by an artificial voice.

Omnidirectional tires, license plates that provide secured contact, and volume-controlling seatbelts - these aren't ideas from a futuristic concept film, they're real innovations unveiled Wednesday at Hyundai Motor's 2025 Idea Festival. Every year, Hyundai Motor's engineers gather at the Namyang R&D center in Gyeonggi to reveal their latest tech.
One team, ANT Lab, assembled small modular wheels into a single, unified tire system that allows a vehicle capable of moving in any direction - not just forward, backward or turning, but full 360-degree maneuverability, independent of traditional steering mechanisms. The team won the grand prize, which includes 10 million won ($6,990) in rewards and chances to visit CES 2026, which is slated for January in Las Vegas.
"It allows for precise and efficient maneuvering - even in tight spaces or complex environments - thanks to its ability to move freely in all directions and rotate on the spot," said Hwang Sang-woo, an engineer from Hyundai's advanced chassis development during the event.

Another team showed off "Snap Plate," a license plate that allows drivers to take photos of the plate and instantly supplies the contact number of the car owner. In Korea, double-parking is a daily headache and drivers often scrawl their numbers on the outside of their cars, which always comes with privacy and spam risks. Snap Plate sidesteps that problem by routing calls through a secure "safe number" provided by Hyundai and Kia's owner app, not the owner's personal line.
A Digi log Lock System was also introduced, a glove box that opens only to the owner's custom knob pattern, effectively creating a mini safe inside the car. With car thefts, so-called "Kia Boys" grow in the United States, it could be exactly the kind of game-changer, the engineers said.
Hyundai engineers also brought "dBelt," a seatbelt that applies audio control buttons. With the push of a button embedded in the belt, passengers with limited mobility, including pregnant and elderly individuals, can easily adjust the volume of music or media without reaching for the dashboard or screen.
Hyundai is actually working to bring Idea Festival concepts to production. A multifunctional center console that won top honors at the 2021 Idea Festival was commercialized as the bidirectional "Multi-console" in the latest Santa Fe SUV. And "Day-Easy," also the winner of the 2023 festival, which helps visually impaired individuals board buses more independently, is currently undergoing demo testing for commercialization.

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