image credit: ZF LIFETEC
German auto parts supplier ZF Group, whose parts are found in a wide variety of cars on the road, has devised a way to reinvent the wheel for today’s tech-dependent drivers.
In a typical steering wheel installed on modern cars, the airbag is mounted front and center of the wheel, as the airbag is designed to inflate on top of the wheel in the event of a crash. With this design, ZF mounts the airbag in a different place, freeing up room for whatever manufacturers would like to incorporate with their new design. The wheel can also be used with what they call “hands-on” detection, which uses a capacitive sensor under the steering wheel leather that senses when the wheel is being held.
