Haptic Steering Wheel for Safety, Navigation and Infotainment System

In order to improve driver safety and lessen distractions, integrating haptic feedback directly into the steering wheel is a novel solution. With haptic confirmation, the Infotainment System (IS) control on the Hap-Wheel enables simple swipe actions for volume adjustments, calls, and music. Haptic vibrations are used by the Navigation Guidance system to indicate approaching turns, reducing the need for visual or auditory cues. The module interprets user actions on a prototype steering wheel by using eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motors, force-sensitive resistors (FSR), and thin-film potentiometers. Validated for workload assessment through NASA-TLX, this system effectively reduces cognitive load to provide a safer driving experience. Through NASA-TLX evaluation, the perceived workload of interacting with the IS with haptic feedback averaged at 53.714 and IS without feedback averaged at 73.714. The potential impact can be extended to a wide range of vehicles, including more affordable models such as taxis, thanks to the cost-effective implementation.