Drive-by-wire

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DRIVE BY WIRE
The idea is to remove the mechanical linkages between the controls of a car and the devices that actually do the work. Instead of operating the steering and brakes directly, the controls would send commands to a central computer, which would instruct the car what to do.
The great advantage being put forward for this is that the computer is able to make the steering, suspension and brakes work together to give the car better handling, especially in bad road conditions, to give better fuel consumption, and to react to emergencies faster than a human driver could. Though the vehicle would look much the same, it would be transformed into what one industry expert calls “a computer network with a car wrapped round it”.
The problem for car manufacturers, who are actively researching the systems, is that getting them right is likely to be much less of a problem than convincing drivers—familiar with crashing computers at home—that their cars won’t do the same.
It’s no accident that the term sounds like fly-by-wire, which is a method of controlling commercial aircraft that has been in use for more than a decade. The term drive-by-wire has been around since the 1980s, though in early examples it could instead refer to methods of automatic steering using circuits embedded in the road surface.
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I was thinking about this days ago, after watching a documentary on aeroplane and fighter jets. How come this idea hasnt been implemented and made readily available for everyday drive, surely it will help cut down many accidents that could be easily avoided? Make parking easier for women drivers.. :D
Let's disscuss it please. Thanks.




*Lifted off another forum (who lifted it off another forum!) :o
 

Mic

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ElRazur said:
*

I was thinking about this days ago, after watching a documentary on aeroplane and fighter jets. How come this idea hasnt been implemented and made readily available for everyday drive, surely it will help cut down many accidents that could be easily avoided? Make parking easier for women drivers.. :D
Let's disscuss it please. Thanks.
Because Fighter Jets cost MILLIONS of dollars. And this technology would cost a bomb.

And everycrash would come down to the driver blaming his malfunctioning steering, or is operating system got the blue screen of death.
 
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The big problem is you'd lose feel. In a good car, you can feel whats happening underneath you through the steering wheel and peddles. If there was no mechanical connection, you'd lose that, and driving would be an odd experience.
 
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Mic said:
Because Fighter Jets cost MILLIONS of dollars. And this technology would cost a bomb.

And everycrash would come down to the driver blaming his malfunctioning steering, or is operating system got the blue screen of death.

Most technological challenge tend to start off being expensive and then start to go cheap e.g Dvd players.

Surely that's what it will aid to cut down. If the jet use in today's war are the same as the ones used during the world war I era surely they will crash more than the fily-by-wire one of today...
 
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Mic

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ElRazur said:
Surely that's what it will aid to cut down. If the jet use in today's war are the same as the ones used during the world war I era surely they will crash more than the fily-by-wire one of today...
I just cant see such an advanced system, with all its fail safes,components etc being introduced in cars.
If its not broke, dont fix it.
 
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djbenjo said:
Some manufacturers already use this to control the throttle I think.

Have it on me beemer

To be honest having all controls fly by wire wouldn't faze me, after all have you tried to steer and use your brakes with the engine off, now I can curl 60kg and I struggle to turn the bloomin wheels :p
 
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andi said:
The big problem is you'd lose feel. In a good car, you can feel whats happening underneath you through the steering wheel and peddles. If there was no mechanical connection, you'd lose that, and driving would be an odd experience.

What's wrong with losing the feel of a car? Perhabs drivers just dont like to feel that way and i for once believe it is the same not-wanting-to-lose-the-feel approach towards a car with an auto-gear box.
I honestly think this system has potentials, maybe with time it might pick up.
 

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ElRazur said:
What's wrong with losing the feel of a car? Perhabs drivers just dont like to feel that way and i for once believe it is the same not-wanting-to-lose-the-feel approach towards a car with an auto-gear box.
I honestly think this system has potentials, maybe with time it might pick up.
Steering would be feel very ackward.
 
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Steering by wire feels very strange. If you have ever driven a Jungheinrich reach fork truck you'll realise just how strange it is. The whole thing is 'drive by wire', and having no actual connection feels very wierd, with no feedback whatsoever.

I'm not saying for a minute that a car would be the same, of course it would be a lot more advanced than a fork-truck, but my point is they would have to give the wheel some sort of force-feedback, even if it isn't 'real'. You would just feel too 'disconnected' otherwise.
 
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as already mentioned i wouldn't like that as it would just feel a bit surreal, a bit like going from driving a car without power steering to driving a car with power steering... kind of !

i just dont think youd get a good feel of the road
 
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DreXeL said:
Steering by wire feels very strange. If you have ever driven a Jungheinrich reach fork truck you'll realise just how strange it is. The whole thing is 'drive by wire', and having no actual connection feels very wierd, with no feedback whatsoever.

I'm not saying for a minute that a car would be the same, of course it would be a lot more advanced than a fork-truck, but my point is they would have to give the wheel some sort of force-feedback, even if it isn't 'real'. You would judt feel to 'disconnected' otherwise.


How about the driver adapting to the lack of feed back? Or better still get immerson to design a Vibra-steering* of some sort? :D Seriously i think it is all down to us adapting...





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Mic

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ElRazur said:
How about the driver adapting to the lack of feed back? Or better still get immerson to design a Vibra-steering* of some sort? :D Seriously i think it is all down to us adapting...





*That name is registered and protected already.
They already have them in for consoles like the ps2 and xbox360.


You have to ask yourself though, WHY??
Its just more useless expensive uneeded stuff to add to a car.
 
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Does the MINI utilise this on its steering? I have heard numerous things said about the steering and can't remember what it is?

Is it just the electric assisted steering (rather than PAS pump) or FBW?
 
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djbenjo said:
Does the MINI utilise this on its steering? I have heard numerous things said about the steering and can't remember what it is?

Is it just the electric assisted steering (rather than PAS pump) or FBW?

elec assist I think, misses ahs one and it is pretty light but you still get a feeling

Focus ST has it as well as you cna change the sensitivity I believe
 
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Loads of new cars have drive-by-wire throttles, which I imagine makes stability/traction control easier to implement. I believe high end Mercs such as the CL-class have drive-by-wire brakes too.
 
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Fighter jets and passenger planes get maintained to an impeccable level and have controls built to last and work in an emergency.

If applied to cars the system would be built to a budget and 10 years down the line I wouldn't be confident driving a badly maintained car which might suddenly go haywire on you, just another thing to go wrong in my opinion, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
 
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