steering

Apple granted patent for iOS steering-wheel remote

Discovered by Patently Apple in a group of 21 patents issued to Apple by the Patent and Trademark Office, the in-vehicle remote-control patent describes a product designed for drivers wishing to control their iOS devices more easily.

Currently, drivers must fumble around with their iPhone, iPod, or iPad to change songs, get directions, or make calls if their car's in-dash system doesn't support iOS devices. This lack of integration can cause serious distractions for drivers.

Apple's solution is a small device that would attach to any steering wheel, allowing users to connect to their iOS devices and control basic functions.… Read more

ABCs of Car Tech: Driver aid systems

Last time, we took a look at how cars protect their passengers in the event of a crash. This week, we're taking a look at a few high-tech ways that modern vehicles can help prevent accidents in the first place.

Modern tech cars can be equipped with a host of driver aid systems that help make driving easier for your average commuter. From road-aware cruise control systems to self-aware headlight systems, cars are getting smarter every day.

Adaptive cruise control If the standard cruise control system was the first step toward vehicular autonomy, then adaptive cruise control system is … Read more

Fanatec CSR racing combo for Xbox 360 (hands- and feet-on)

I've previously confessed to being a fan of Fanatec's series of racing wheels, I even use its original Porsche 911 Turbo styled wheel, pedal, and shifter combo as my daily digital driver when piloting the virtual cars 'round the tracks of my racing sim du jour.

But my now-discontinued Fanatec kit sits at the bottom of manufacturer's line of racing peripherals and leaves much to be desired.The plasticy buttons on the wheel's face feel cheap with vague tactile feedback; the pedals, while accurate throughout their travel, are too light and mushy for furious racing; and the H-pattern shifter's poorly defined gates have cost me more races than I can count. Most of these issues have been addressed with subsequent versions of Fanatec's Porsche wheels and at the core of this kit is a fantastically accurate 900-degree racing wheel with strong force feedback, great sensitivity, and the ability to be customized on-the-fly to the user's needs. I always wondered, what would happen if you took that awesome core steering wheel hardware and upgraded the components and build materials?

This is the point in our story where the Fanatec Forza Motorsport CSR wheel and shifter kit and CSR Elite pedal set landed at my desk. These components aim to address each of the issues that I have with my current setup.… Read more

Steer Safe car kit doesn't seem like a good idea

I think that we can universally agree that fiddling with a smartphone while driving is a bad idea, but is fiddling with a phone attached to your steering wheel any safer? The makers of the Steer Safe universal hands-free kit would like you to think so, but I'm not sure that I agree.

The video and description that accompany the Steer Safe's KickStarter page say that the smartphone mounts to the user's steering wheel, putting the phone close by for easy hands-free calling, navigation, and whatever else you want to do while behind the wheel. It all … Read more

Next-generation steering wheel folds entirely away

The latest telescoping steering wheels extend and retract to make it more comfortable for people of all sizes to drive, but that doesn't help much if you have trouble getting behind the wheel in the first place. To make it easier to enter and exit vehicles, TRW Automotive is developing a collapsible steering wheel that retracts entirely into the dashboard.

Renderings of the new dashboard technology show a steering wheel with two handles attached to the steering column. When not in use, the handles collapse around the column, which retracts into the dashboard. By opening up more space in the cockpit, the retractable steering wheel should make it easier for people to get in and out of automobiles. The steering wheel automatically deploys into driving position when the driver starts the car, and like adjustable seats with memory options, the steering wheel position preference can be saved. … Read more

The iPhone 4G Steering Wheel with Speakers (hands-on)

Fact: developers have whipped up some mighty fine racing games for the iPhone. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking Asphalt 5, Driver, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, and Reckless Racing, to name just a few.

However, these games share a common obstacle: controls. Either you're futzing with onscreen buttons that offer no feedback, or you're "steering" the iPhone itself--which I find too small to grip comfortably.

Enter the iPhone 4G Steering Wheel with Speakers, a slick little accessory that wraps, well, a steering wheel around your phone.

If this sounds familiar, you might … Read more

Hearing impaired? Steering wheel can guide you

Researchers at the University of Utah have been studying devices on steering wheels that guide drivers by pulling skin on index fingers to the left or the right, and are giving the technology two thumbs up.

"It has the potential of being a safer way of doing what's already being done--delivering information that people are already getting with in-car GPS navigation systems," says lead author William Provancher, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Utah.

He adds that the study was based on a "multiple resource model" of how people process information, where our senses are considered resources that relay information to our brains:

"You can only process so much," he says. "The theory is that if you provide information through different channels, you can provide more total information. Our sense of touch is currently an unexplored means of communication in the car."

Tactile systems that warn drivers if they are veering out of lanes already exist, but these devices actually turn the steering wheel, instead of prompting the driver to turn it.

Using the new device, the researchers studied 19 University of Utah undergraduates (13 men and 6 women) in four driving scenarios, each one lasting 6 minutes and including, randomly, 12 cues to move right and 12 to move left. During the simulations, each driver's index fingertips rested on a red TrackPoint cap from an IBM ThinkPad computer that gently stretches skin clockwise to indicate right turns and counterclockwise to indicate left.

In two scenarios, the drivers talked via cell phone to a person in the lab while receiving directions from a computer voice or the touch devices on the steering wheel. In the other two scenarios, the drivers did not talk on cell phones.… Read more

The evolution of Ferrari's F1 steering wheel

Ah, the humble steering wheel--circular apparatus designed to maneuver modern land vehicles right or left, correct? Wrong. It may have started that way, but in Ferrari's hands, the Formula One steering wheel has evolved exponentially to become a full-on computer system that can cost upwards of 100,000 pounds (that's $156,400). Each.

During a recent trip to the Galleria Ferrari museum in Maranello, Italy, we had the opportunity to go hands on with several slices of F1 history. The first of these was the enormous wheel on the 1963 Ferrari 156 F1-63. This model had a circumference … Read more

Helix gives iPhone gamers a good 'Grip'

The iPhone may be many things, but it's no steering wheel. Much as I love using accelerometer controls in racing games such as Jet Car Stunts and air-combat sims like F.A.S.T., the iPhone is just too small to grip comfortably. Consequently, I end up getting frustrated with the games I should be enjoying.

I was skeptical that PosiMotion's Helix Gaming Grip accessory could change that. It looks pretty goofy, and at $19.99, it seems pricey--especially considering that the aforementioned games have a combined price tag of just two bucks.

I was wrong. The Gaming … Read more