Toyota Experimenting With Joystick Control For Cars

alphadogg writes "Today it's the stuff of video games, but Toyota is experimenting with joystick control for a new breed of compact cars and transporters. The world's biggest car maker built the technology into a couple of concept vehicles that were on display Wednesday at the Tokyo Motor Show. The FT-EV II, which got its world premiere at the event, is a compact electric vehicle designed for short trips. The car retains seats for four passengers despite being much more compact than most other cars, and packs drive-by-wire technology so it can be controlled with a joystick. The car's steering, braking and acceleration can be controlled by hand so foot pedals aren't needed, freeing up space to provide more legroom for the driver."

Re:Power Steering failure?

[Anonymous Coward]

dumbass

I seem to remember

[DaMattster]

In the late 80s, early 90s Saab experimented with a joystick control, a "drive by wire if you will." Stephanie Stahl from 60 minutes did a story on the drive by wire Saab. Ultimately, it proved not to be the game changer everyone thought. The joystick was placed where the gear shifter normally was. One of the problems was the sensitivity and lack of road feedback. It was actually hard to drive and keep steady.

Re:Power Steering failure?

[stoolpigeon]

When I was pretty new to driving, I was rolling down a residential street in my dad's '78 Cougar. The engine died and the power steering went with it. I wasn't going too fast, but I was rolling straight toward a parked car. It took all I had to slowly pull the car into a turn. It was a very strange sensation, slowly heading towards a fender bender as I worked at the wheel. I did manage it, and it wouldn't have been too bad for me physically, but the other car was much newer and smaller and I would have probably banged it up pretty good.
 
I lost power steering in my '83 Celica when a belt broke. I was on the freeway and didn't even notice until I exited onto surface streets and could feel that it was much more difficult to turn. In either case with a fly-by-wire type system I'd have been in trouble. Having a mechanical backup for a loss of power is essential.

Re:Power Steering failure?

[MBGMorden]

A joystick can be linked in the same way that a steering wheel can. Look at aircraft: many older ones have joysticks. Most newer craft have yokes (essentially a wheel), but both are linked to the control surfaces physically in much the same way that a steering wheel is linked to a car's wheels.

Feel free to ignore

[moogied]

This won't ever see the light of day. For one, its not currently legal in America. Two, it would only result in a much higher rate of impact. (Slam on your brakes next time you drive, see which way your hand moves. Is it forward?! Oh no! you just hit the car going 30 instead of 22). THREE, if its NOT BROKE. Do NOT fix it. Four, there is 0 gain from this. At all. Also, unless we start seeing it on race cars no one will ever take it seriously.

Re:Power Steering failure?

[Anonymous Coward]

Airbus aircraft are completely fly-by-wire, I don't believe there is any mechanical connection to the control surfaces at all.

Re:Power Steering failure?

[kidgenius]

Actually, Airbus' have joysticks, and they are all electrical, no connections to the actual surfaces, and no feedback either. Boeings all have yokes, the newer ones being completely separated from the actual surfaces (737 is the only one that has a quasi-connection, and they have feedback due to some motors in the base. The next gen is going to be joysticks that have feedback with motors.

Re:Where's the beef?

[smooth wombat]

No pictures? How can they not show us any pictures of this?

Ask and you shall receive: picture index [mainichi.jp].

If you look at the third row from the top, the middle picture, that is the steering system they are talking about. I know it doesn't look like a joystick but the caption says it is of the Toyota FT-EV II, the same one mentioned in the article.

Re:zomg

[Devout_IPUite]

Apparently you haven't played many racing games...

Wheels make the games easier, not harder. Playing GT4 on high challenge levels in fast cars with a joystick is really pretty damn hard.

Re:Power Steering failure?

[DomNF15]

Running out of gas does not kill power steering. As long as your transmission is still engaged and you're still moving forward, the engine is still turning over and the accessory belts are still moving (i.e. power steering pump is still active). Those systems stop working when your RPMs drop below idle RPM.

Re:Special license needed?

[spaceyhackerlady]

Not having pedals or a steering column to deal with in a crash gives the engineers lots of scope to make cars safer. I'll be following this with interest.

The control layout we have in cars today wasn't finalized until after WW2. Prior to that, many cars had the accelerator in the middle, with the clutch and brake on either side. Some cars had unique setups - ever driven a Model T?

Even today, there are two "standards" for minor controls on right hand drive cars. British RHD cars have the turning signals on the left of the steering column. Japanese and Australian RHD cars have the turning signals on the right. I drive a Mitsubishi L300 Delica, so I'm used to reaching with my right hand for the turning signals.

While it had a steering wheel, the GM Hy-Wire concept was drive by wire as well. Some Citroen models were effectively drive by wire (e.g. the SM), with no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and road wheels unless the engine or power steering failed.

...laura

Re:Power Steering failure?

[MBGMorden]

Airbus aircraft are completely fly-by-wire, I don't believe there is any mechanical connection to the control surfaces at all.

A lot of newer fighter aircraft and such are too, but that's really a separate issue. Yokes or joysticks can both be fly-by-wire, but both have also traditionally been physically linked to the controls. Nothing about being a joystick necessarily *requires* the system to be fly-by-wire.

Re:Power Steering failure?

[pnewhook]

Running out of gas does not kill power steering. As long as your transmission is still engaged and you're still moving forward, the engine is still turning over and the accessory belts are still moving (i.e. power steering pump is still active).

Not true at all.

I've been in a situation where the engine is off, still in drive, and going downhill (I was actually accelerating). I quickly lost both power steering and power brakes as I used them. Everything gets manual very quickly.

Re:Power Steering failure?

[DeLaNooch]

It doesn't even really hold true to that assumption. Like Aldhibah said, unless you're coasting down a long hill or are being pushed by a group of body builders, the wheels will have to be disengaged from the engine (i.e. in neutral) if you're planning on getting anywhere.