Joystick-controlled cars could become available at your local dealer if research that is under way at the University of Limerick takes off, writes Emma Napper
Using the same technology found in fighter jets and computer games, experts at the University of Limerick are working with leading international companies to revolutionise the way we drive.
"Using a joystick, instead of a steering wheel, will give cars of the future better handling and faster, more reliable responses to conditions on the road," says Dr Donal Heffernan, a research scientist at the PEI Research Centre based at UL. Dr Heffernan is part of a group of scientists who are contributing to the development and safety of joystick-controlled cars along with BMW, Daimler Chrysler and other international companies.
With this new technology, which Dr Heffernan calls "drive-by-wire", there is no mechanical link between the driver and the wheels. Instead, one joystick links the driver directly to a computer under the bonnet. Another similar technology called "brake-by-wire" allows the brakes to be joystick-controlled.
Using this form of control should shorten the time a car takes to respond to steering and stopping, as the computer should respond more quickly, reliably and efficiently than traditional mechanical controls, says Heffernan.
The technology in itself is not new. Fighter aircraft and commercial planes "fly-by-wire". However, the challenge is to adapt the technology to cars and to keep it safe without us having to pay as much as for a plane. Already 30 per cent of the value of some cars is down to electronic equipment, he adds. The car industry wants the latest features but "won't tolerate any increased cost".
Computer technologies such as ABS (anti-lock braking systems) or electronic stability control (which stops a car spinning out of control) are becoming standard safety features. "There are around 40 computers in cars at the higher end of the market," says Heffernan.
The computers control everything from ABS to electric windows. In fact, the modern car has more computing power on board than that of the Apollo space craft that put men on the moon. The development of automotive electronics is also an important research area in the Republic, employing 3,000 in companies and universities.
On-board computer systems talk to each other using a network called CAN (controller area network). However, "drive-by-wire" needs a new type of communication network. Heffernan and his team have been involved in the development of this faster, more intelligent "time-triggered" network (TTCAN).
As well as developing the new network, scientists at Limerick university have been leading the way in working out a new safety standard by co-founding the International Standards Organisation Task Force. "To use drive-by-wire it is very critical that we can judge the performance of the network. The timing has to be very accurate," says Heffernan.
Heffernan and his team are developing a computer programme that can mimic how the new technology will react in a series of trials. This allows them to test systems before anyone gets behind the joystick for a spin. They then do several mathematical checks before eventually building a prototype car.
A very nice secondary effect of this technology is that in the future our cars are going to look fantastic. Getting rid of the steering wheel will give car manufacturers "much greater flexibility in car design", says Heffernan.
At the moment, the steering column restricts the size and shape of the front of the car. However joystick controls will allow cars to be roomier and more imaginative. It may also mean that there will be fewer restrictions when developing left- and right-hand-drive cars.
BMW is the first company planning to use this technology in new cars. In 2004 it will introduce the first "brake-by-wire" cars and it is hoped that within 10 years we will start seeing "drive-by-wire". It sounds a bit daunting, but Heffernan says that the first cars on the market will have mechanical back-up.
Heffernan also believes that the first cars may have steering wheel shaped joysticks - if only to stop other drivers on the road from panicking - but he says "the steering wheel will go in the future, there is no doubt about that".
Emma Napper is a research scientist working at CEH-Dorset and Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire and Southampton University. She is on placement as a British Association for the Advancement of Science Media Fellow