Nissan Expects to Adopt Steer-by-Wire Technology for Showrooms by 2013
Manufacturers have adopted similar technologies used in airplanes to increase the convenience of steering vehicles, allowing drivers to soon be able to steer their vehicles with a joy stick from any seat inside of the vehicle if they want. Nissan will be the first major auto manufacturing company that is prepared to unveil how they adopted this technology and is ready expose it to showrooms and the general market by 2013.
Steer-by-wire technology allows a vehicle to be steered without having a steering wheel physically attached to mechanical links. According to BBC, Nissan plans to be the first large car manufacturer to sell cars controlled by steer-by-wire technology within a year.
Electronic signals emitted from the steering wheel are read by a computerized system, which then controls the direction of the tires – an aberration from the traditional manufacturer stock car steering mechanism. Nissan allegedly claims that this new system will improve the driving experience. Drivers would be able to have better response control from their cars since an electronic signal can travel faster to the wheels than a hydraulic and a mechanical system could. It can also reduce the amount of disturbances caused by unnecessary feedback – which could then be an added benefit for users.
“For example, even on a road surface with minor ridges or furrows, the driver no longer has to grip the steering wheel tightly and make detailed adjustments, so travelling on the intended path becomes easier,” Nissan stated.
Motorists have been concerned about the adaptation of this technology and question the safety behind it. To alleviate this, the manufacturer has designed a traditional back-up system called the backup clutch system to which the steering wheel may be reattached in case of an emergency. In the long term, the company hopes to get rid of the safety system altogether.
“If we are freed from that, we would be able to place the steering wheel wherever we like,” said Masaharu Satou, a Nissan engineer.
“Such as in the back seat, or it would be possible to steer the car with a joystick.” Doing so will reduce the addition of weight incurred from the emergency clutch system. It will also potentially increase the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.
Although the vehicles would still be controlled by a human, the publication said that an analyst believes the development could eventually be incorporated into driverless cars.
According to Nissan, the Infiniti-branded vehicles would be first to be fitted with steer-by-wire technology.
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