Wheel X Ratt by Zijie Liu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award i Silver in Fordonsdels-, Biltillbehörs- och Vårdproduktdesign Competition Category.

SilverFordonstillbehör· 2022

Wheel X Ratt

by Zijie Liu

A' Design Award i Silver Winner in Fordonstillbehör Category

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Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #139102

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Wheel X Ratt

Wheel X är en konceptratt designad för framtidens bilar. Formen anpassar sig efter förarnas olika behov i olika körsituationer. Greppet förlängs och roterar automatiskt för att växla mellan tre lägen: förarlös körning, naturlig körning och sportig körning. I naturligt tillstånd är formen rund och slät. När en knapp trycks in övergår greppet från en O-form till en W-form, den inre ytan får en knottrig textur och dynamisk belysning framträder på utsidan. Stommen är av zinklegering och skalet använder PU och TPEE.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award i Silver

Wheel X Ratt är vinnare av A' Design Award i Silver, ett utomordentligt prestigefyllt erkännande som tilldelas förstklassiga, hänförande och imponerande designverk i toppskiktet. Silvervinnare är oerhört briljanta och utomordentligt kreativa verk som illustrerar sina formgivares enastående expertis, talang och skarpsinne. Wheel X Ratt förväntas vara ett underbart paradexempel som är anmärkningsvärt professionellt och djupt innovativt. Detta vinnande verk i A' Design Award i Silver är en mycket uppmärksammad, beundrad uppfinning som gagnar och flyttar fram gränserna för konst, vetenskap, design och teknik. Wheel X Ratt är en skapelse som avundas starkt, som väcker längtan, förmedlar positiva känslor och väcker förundran och häpnad.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The design of Wheel X future steering wheel is based on the different needs of the driver under different driving scenarios and motives. The steering wheel will automatically extend and rotate the grip to realize the switching of three modes of unmanned driving, natural driving and sports driving. The inner surface of the grip will transform into a bump texture when in motion, and the outer side has dynamic lighting.
Dimensions & Packaging: State one, 320mmx320mmx150mm
State two, 420mmx320mmx150mm
Tags: Wheel X, Future steering wheel design, Interior design, Automobile design, conceptual design, Interactive design
Production Technology: The skeleton is a zinc alloy material, produced by die casting. The shell is composed of PU and TPEE, produced in a foaming machine. The grip is composed of silica and woven fabric.
Design Challenge: The first part is the analysis of the evolution trend of the steering wheel in the future, the second part is the research on the emotional needs of different types of drivers on the steering wheel, and the last part is what method should be adopted to switch the steering wheel mode and my thinking on the folding form.
Research: This is a research on the interactive experience of car driving. The research goal is to help meet the user's driving emotional needs through the redefinition of the steering wheel. Methods such as swot and double diamond design process are used to improve the human-computer interaction of the product and users. The experience has been researched. The experimental results show that the user's mood will be adjusted in two states of relaxation and tension during each driving process, and each state will continue to complete a driving activity. Therefore, the research results are through the shape change of the steering wheel, Tactile changes, visual changes to adapt to the user's psychological state, which will make the future steering wheel more intelligent.
Inspiration: Different driving scenarios will have different emotional expectations. For example, going to work and vacation, one is racing against time, and the other is enjoying the scenery. If your steering wheel can change according to your mood at the moment, then you may be more comfortable to operate.
Project Duration: The project started in September 2021 and was completed in November 2021 at China Academy of Art, Zhejiang Province, China.
Operation Flow: Wheel X can be divided into two states, "Natural" and "Sport". In the "Natural" state, the Wheel X shows a round and smooth shape. When the user presses the button, the Wheel X will change to "Sport" state, and it will automatically rotate the grip to realize the transformation from "O" shape to "W" shape. At this moment, the grip of the steering wheel will be similar to that of the racing car, the roughness of the grip will be enhanced, and there will be a lighting effect to set off the user's mood at this moment.