Amid a collective groan from driving enthusiasts everywhere, today Nissan announced that it plans to be first to put electronic steer-by-wire technology into production cars. Replacing the rack and pinion with a mix of wires and processors, the Japanese automaker?s new system will control the tires independently from the steering inputs.
Nissan?s steer-by-wire system follows the same logic as the fly-by-wire systems found in aircraft (which have been controversial in their own right). By processing steering inputs against a bevy of variables such as speed and vehicle direction, the process tries to correct for driver error?swing the wheel wildly, and the car turns subtly rather than careening off the road, because the computer system knows that's probably not what you intended.
Although enthusiasts refer to this as "video-game driving", arguing that it removes the driver?s connection to the road, it could lead to a safer future for everyday drivers. In the event of a skid or a loss of control, for example, unless you?re experienced at driving on the limits of grip, there?s a good chance anything you do with the wheel could worsen the station. A steer-by-wire system circumvents those bad driver inputs, and uses data to keep your vehicle stable. Fun or not, it?s the natural next step in automotive safety technologies, much in the same vein as anti-lock brakes and traction control.
According to Nissan, steer-by-wire will find it?s way into select models by its luxury brand Infiniti within the next year, and it?s not the only safety technology the company plans to implement. Today Nissan also revealed its plans for an "Autonomous Emergency Steering System". Taking the fully electronic steering setup a step further, this system will warn the driver of a threat by suggesting evasive action and, if the driver doesn't respond, automatically take control of the steering to avoid the threat.
Add on to that last week?s announcement of a system that corrects for "pedal misapplication" and it seems Nissan is suddenly pushing headlong into the forefront of technology to save drivers from ourselves. "The ultimate goal is to reduce fatalities involving our brands to 'substantially zero,'" Tetsuya Iijima said in a release. "In our minds, there is no such thing as an acceptable fatality."
That plan appears to entail the incremental removal of the biggest variable Nissan can?t account for: the driver.
naacp glen campbell jerusalem artichoke bud shootout aretha franklin stevie wonder new orleans weather
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন