An inventor is developing a new vehicle steering system that prevents drivers having to make unsafe hand-over-hand movements when turning.
It can take up to two and a half turns of the wheel to steer modern cars but Rene Guerster believes his "computer-mediated steering" device could help motorists avoid rear-end collisions, rollovers and other accidents that can be caused by drivers when they oversteer in a panic.
Mr Guerster is due to reveal his work at the HFES 2013 meeting at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel in the US on October 4. He will show how the technology that is already at the heart of some engine controls, would allow motorists to steer without moving one hand over another. That would make driving safer and could help drivers avoid accidents andbreakdowns .
The concept, similar to a yoke, only needs a quarter turn, which means drivers keep their hands on the wheel throughout manoeuvres. The degree and speed of the steering wheel turn and the speed of the vehicle are calculated to operate an electric motor and turn car wheels. Mr Guerster says the system will need to undergo tests to make sure it is practical and safe, but it would be a fairly straightforward matter to incorporate it into modern vehicles.
Copyright Press Association 2013
