Are you prepared for Wrath of the Lich King? WoW Insider has you covered!

Smart, but flawed: Steering wheel navigation screen



The latest gizmo from Japan's Takata will tell you where to go, but not like those verbally abusive digital keychains from the '90s. The Takata CSW steering wheel is designed to interface with sensors in your vehicle and display different messages on an LCD screen in the 12 o'clock position. There are already lights and sirens to let you know if your door is ajar or the washer fluid is low, but the CSW wheel's best trick is that it will talk to the Navigon 7100 navigation system, should you have one. It's an interesting cross-brand lashup that is pushing the envelope of aftermarket integration.

The screen in the wheel works in conjunction with the larger screen in the navigation unit to display instructions, though the improvement over just the Navigon would likely be sufficient. Both the wheel and the Navi can reportedly poll vehicle sensors, though we're not sure exactly how, so the systems would be more aware of what the driver is doing beyond merely position data. Both companies hope the wheel will reduce driver distraction, though we're not convinced that looking down to the wheel rim is any safer or more convenient than the slight gaze diversion to the customary upper center of the dashboard. We don't know of any manufacturer plans to OEM-issue these units, but the effort could portend a future convergence in the gadget galaxy.

[Source: Navigadget via Kicking Tires; Photo: SoundDomain]

Related Headlines

Subscribe to these comments

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

Please note that gratuitous links to your site are viewed as spam and may result in removed comments.

New Users

Current Users


Autoblog Features





Featured Galleries

Audi A3 TDI Clubsport Quattro concept
1957 Chrysler Diablo Concept
Alfa Romeo Spider Mille Miglia
Honda Zest Sports G (Dynamic Special)
Audi TT Clubsport Quattro - spy shots
Fiat 500 Abarth Asetto Corse
Fisker Karma - spy shots
Novitec Fiat 500
Lexus LF-A Racecar at the Nurburgring
2009 Ford Focus Coupe
2008 Toyota Alphard / Vellfire
Lamborghini Reventon unboxed in Las Vegas

 

Find Your Next Car


Sponsored Links

Autoblog bloggers (30 days)

#BloggerPostsCmts
1Damon Lavrinc13120
2John Neff896
3Noah Joseph570
4Alex Nunez5524
5Jeremy Korzeniewski530
6Chris Shunk512
7Jonathon Ramsey411
8Sam Abuelsamid3312
9Michael Harley315
10Dan Roth297
11Sebastian Blanco221
12Drew Phillips152
13Merritt Johnson121
14Chris Tutor110
15Justin Gardiner50
16John McElroy40
17Frank Filipponio31

Weblogs, Inc. Network