General Motors Design posted digital renderings of a steering wheel concept on their Instagram page that looks quite futuristic. While it is clearly not intended for a production model, it is an interesting proposal for the future of autonomous cars.
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The unnamed concept created by designer @k_e_h_h_h_h_h_h has a rectangular shape. It may sound familiar but GM’s proposal does in a different manner than the controversial Tesla Yoke. This one integrates a large touchscreen on the center which makes it look like an electronic device.
The sides are wrapped in leather with white stitching and LED light bars that could work as turn signals. Around the screen, there are touch-sensitive controls for Menu, Home, Drive/Reverse, and Brake, plus a joystick-like touch-button that could work as an accelerator.
When the car is in fully autonomous mode, the screen shows data from the sensors, fancy graphics, and possibly the infotainment. On the other hand, when the “human” driver takes control, the screen reverts to a live feed from the front camera infused with augmented reality technology. This means that the driver could focus on the steering wheel instead of the good-old windscreen, while the advanced ADAS systems would protect him from any possible mistake.
See Also: Tesla’s Yoke And Touchscreen Shifter Make Three-Point Turns A Hellish Experience
Of course, these scenarios sound like science fiction as in order to replace all of the driving controls with such a device we would need years of testing and evaluations before the steering wheel could meet the strict safety regulations and become user-friendly enough for a market launch. Having said that, it is nice to see designers experimenting without limitations because new ideas usually appear through brainstorming. As GM Design describes it in their post, we must “think outside the box” in order to move forward.
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