March 6, 2014—TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. unveiled a new steering wheel concept at the Geneva International Motor Show Monday.
The steering wheel offers a number of features, including hands on/off detection to help support the driver during semi-automated and automated driving situations.
A "drive mode manager" display located at the top of the steering wheel indicates if the car is in automated mode or if the driver is ready to take back control of the vehicle.
The driver can also shift gears using the relevant switches on the steering wheel.
The concept will be shown on the Rinspeed XchangE showcar this week.
“With the integrated hands on/off sensor and flexible positioning of the wheel, the driver can choose whether to drive the vehicle himself, pass control of the vehicle to the front passenger, or have the vehicle drive itself in automated mode,” said Guido Hirzmann, group leader of new technology at Mechatronic. “Furthermore, with the increasing number of electronically controlled functions in the vehicle, certain controls can be eliminated or packaged into the steering wheel, offering more space and flexibility for the car interior. For example, with the XchangE vehicle, we have been able to remove the center console and integrate the gear shift into the steering wheel.”