Drive By Wire In 1958

[OldTrucker]

Forward to accelerate, back to slow down, left or right to steer!

Scary thought! LoL

[misterNNL]

Reminds me of some of the wild Custom cars from the '60's with the "Unitrol " single stick systems. Wonder where that featured car is today?

[Oldcarfan27]

I have a hard enough time accepting driverless cars, don't get me started on the feasibility of simply driving by remote control.

Guess I need the tactile sensation of actually controlling a car!

[Ace-Garageguy]

47 minutes ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

I have a hard enough time accepting driverless cars, don't get me started on the feasibility of simply driving by remote control.

Guess I need the tactile sensation of actually controlling a car!

It's already largely "remote control", and the "tactile sensation" is often faked.

There is no direct mechanical throttle linkage on most cars now, and "steer by wire" uses no mechanical link between the steering wheel and the vehicle wheels.

Brake-by-wire is here too, again processor controlled by the driver's pressure on a spring-loaded "pedal", with no mechanical communication from the pedal to the brakes.

Marketing engineers touting "enhanced feel" and "quicker response" in these ridiculous overly-complex systems have obviously never driven a 1972 Porsche 911.

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by Ace-Garageguy
TYPO

[PatW]

If self-drive cars come in, I stop driving, but walking is going to be dangerous as well, because if any of them go haywire you could get run over as well! I see lots of accidents here in the UK is caused by people with automatic cars putting them into the wrong gear, reverse when they want to go forwards and forwards when they should be going back! Very dangerous if your in a tall multi-story car park.

[OldNYJim]

If people don’t know if they just put a car in forward or reverse they really shouldn’t be driving one…

 

[Tabbysdaddy]

Finally, something designed for left handers.

[slusher]

7 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

I have a hard enough time accepting driverless cars, don't get me started on the feasibility of simply driving by remote control.

Guess I need the tactile sensation of actually controlling a car!

I agree, humans are not perfect but machines bread down. If I am paying for it I want to drive it. If I need someone to drive me I have my wife and my brother..

[Russell C]

Tested over really bumpy roads, though? A.k.a. recipe for disaster ....

[89AKurt]

Going out on a limb here, before doing any research, don't handicapped people have such a device?

My Honda Civic has drive-by-wire accelerator, but I still stomp on the pedal when I want to scoot.  It also has electric assisted steering.  Some GM pickups had rear-steering.  Fighter pilots have a stick.  It's not far-fetched.  But I wouldn't want to do a WRC rally with it.

[ChrisBcritter]

Chevy should have offered those bucket seats in the '58 Impala! Must have been borrowed from the '58 Bonneville.

[slusher]

6 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

Going out on a limb here, before doing any research, don't handicapped people have such a device?

My Honda Civic has drive-by-wire accelerator, but I still stomp on the pedal when I want to scoot.  It also has electric assisted steering.  Some GM pickups had rear-steering.  Fighter pilots have a stick.  It's not far-fetched.  But I wouldn't want to do a WRC rally with it.

I only speak for myself.  My  Dodge has an electronic accelerator and start. Just got it back after it wouldn’t getting signal to the starter..

[espo]

How would you like to be on the hiway and have to sneeze? Bad enough with a steering wheel but having the throttle in your hand as well. 

[NOBLNG]

17 hours ago, OldTrucker said:

Forward to accelerate, back to slow down, left or right to steer!

Scary thought! LoL

At least the drive by wire systems still require driver input, even though there is no mechanical or hydraulic connections. The vehicle doesn’t just go somewhere on its own because a passenger tells it to. That said, a fully autonomous vehicle can likely do a safer job of getting from point A to point B than some people on the roads today. I do believe they should tighten up the requirements for getting a license. It may help to encourage car pooling as well.?

Edited December 31, 2021 by NOBLNG

[ZTony8]

Being 1958 there's probably contact points in the control box. Heaven forbid that the point gap gets too big.

 

[Draggon]

10 hours ago, Tabbysdaddy said:

Finally, something designed for left handers.

I'm a pilot and see nothing wrong with that. But my first thought was that the stick is in the wrong place, I'm right handed!

[Brian Austin]

Meanwhile the Detroit Electric from 1936 was still using tiller steering!  Mounted to the left of the driver at the B Pillar.

 

Throughout the '50s GM was playing with guided-autonomous vehicles, running on special roadways embedded with wires.  I wonder if the Chevy above was part of that thinking.  I've been familiar with Fords Twist Wrist steering system for some time, but I don't recall this particular one.

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 hours ago, Draggon said:

I'm a pilot and see nothing wrong with that. But my first thought was that the stick is in the wrong place, I'm right handed!

Have you flown a Cirrus? I don't really like the side-stick setup and its lack of feel.

https://www.aviationlawmonitor.com/2010/12/cirrus-aircraft/steve-wilson-the-cirrus-airplane-has-serious-problems/

Edited December 31, 2021 by Ace-Garageguy
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

[Draggon]

25 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Have you flown a Cirrus? I don't really like the side-stick setup and its lack of feel.https://www.aviationlawmonitor.com/2010/12/cirrus-aircraft/steve-wilson-the-cirrus-airplane-has-serious-problems/

I hate side sticks. That comes from learning to fly in a glider, with the stick in the middle, as well as my age and finding un-learning decades of experience difficult. Using my left hand for anything that involves skill or finesse just feels so counter-intuitive. I'm also an avid gamer, and having a game pad with the feel and response similar to that Cirrus system would make gaming, at best, quite a  challenge. 

[Oldcarfan27]

23 hours ago, OldTrucker said:

Well at least it leaves one hand free for the cell phone!

And can you imagine steering with the left hand and shifting with the right? Talk about multitasking. 

[kruleworld]

On 12/31/2021 at 9:41 AM, PatW said:

I see lots of accidents here in the UK is caused by people with automatic cars putting them into the wrong gear, reverse when they want to go forwards and forwards when they should be going back! Very dangerous if your in a tall multi-story car park.

because driving is hard with TWO pedals...lol

[PatW]

20 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

Well at least it leaves one hand free for the cell phone!

And can you imagine steering with the left hand and shifting with the right? Talk about multitasking. 

Our government here in the UK are about to completely ban mobile phones in all vehicles, because so many people have been badly injured or killed by drivers using them and causing accidents. What they should have in vehicles are the electronics to stop all phone use once the ignition is switched on. We see so many near misses by ignorant drivers each day. We have a first school not far from us, and so many parents are seen either when they have the children in the car or after they have dropped them off not only reading they're phones or texting as they drive away from the school each day. We are looking at placing camera's to stop speeding and photograph each car to catch them and hopefully cancel their driving licences.  

[peteski]

On 12/31/2021 at 1:27 AM, 89AKurt said:

 

My Honda Civic has drive-by-wire accelerator, but I still stomp on the pedal when I want to scoot.  It also has electric assisted steering.  Some GM pickups had rear-steering.  Fighter pilots have a stick.  It's not far-fetched.  But I wouldn't want to do a WRC rally with it.

My 2019 Kia Soul has fly-by-wire accelerator.  This is the first car I owned that doesn't have a mechanical throttle linkage.  While most of the time works ok, sometimes I step on the accelerator and the engine does not respond like the old cars did.  I guess the computer "decides" that it is not  in my(or car's) best interest to rev up.  It can be very annoying because it usually happens when I need the extra power.  And no, it is not anti-skid or stability control engaging - it happens on dry pavement and without any wheel slippage.

[Oldmopars]

My uncle had MS and was severly disabled. Hehad very limited use of his hands and arms, no use of his legs. He had a van that had a system like this, but not as fancy. It was like an aircraft yoke out of the floor with a very very small steering wheel in the middle.  He pushed it forwards to go forward, back to stop and steering was 1/4 turn lock to lock. in the middle of the steering wheel was buttons that controlled the shifting, turn signals, lights etc. 

It allowed him and my aunt, also disabled, to get out and go places on their own. They were both wheel chair bound and this gave them freedom. 

However, it took my uncle a while and lots of training by the company that built it for him to safely drive it. 

So, I don't think everyone should drive a car like that, I am glad it was available for him. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

On 1/1/2022 at 12:03 PM, PatW said:

...What they should have in vehicles are the electronics to stop all phone use once the ignition is switched on....

Exactly...or at the very least if the vehicle is in gear.  It's easy.

This add-on tech has been available since 2012, and why it's not mandatory...when so much useless idiot stuff is...is anybody's guess.

https://newatlas.com/scosche-cellcontrol-disables-mobile-phones/21192/

EDIT: Last time I looked at the stats, texting or other phone-use-while-driving was responsible for as many unnecessary "accidents" as DUI used to be. 

 

Edited January 8, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy