Silver Vehicle Parts, Auto Accessories and Care Products Design · 2022
Wheel X Multifunction Steering
by Zijie Liu
- A' Design Award 2022 Silver Winner in Vehicle Parts, Auto Accessories and Care Products Design
- Awarded April 15, 2022
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 45,754
- Verification code 0776744130 · Verify this award
About Wheel X Multifunction Steering
Wheel X is a concept steering wheel designed for future cars. The form responds to the different needs of drivers in different driving situations. The grip extends and rotates automatically to switch between three modes: unmanned driving, natural driving and sports driving. In the natural state, the shape is round and smooth. When a button is pressed, the grip turns from an O shape to a W shape, the inner surface gains a bump texture and dynamic lighting appears on the outer side. The skeleton is zinc alloy and the shell uses PU and TPEE.
Zijie Liu's Wheel X Multifunction Steering represents a compelling contribution to contemporary automotive interface design, embodying the ongoing evolution of driver-vehicle interaction toward increasingly intuitive and aesthetically unified systems. The work emerges from a design tradition that increasingly recognizes the steering wheel as both primary control mechanism and central experiential touchpoint within the vehicle interior, elevating its formal consideration beyond mere functional apparatus toward sculptural presence. Liu's approach demonstrates sophisticated understanding of material semiotics, employing the restrained chromatic vocabulary of premium transportation design while introducing textural variations that communicate functional zones through visual and tactile cues. The integrated digital display cluster within the hub suggests engagement with emerging paradigms of information architecture in mobility contexts, where essential data must be communicated efficiently without compromising the driver's primary visual field. The circular form itself participates in centuries of steering mechanism convention while the internal geometry introduces contemporary sensibility through asymmetrical control placement and organic sculptural transitions. The textured grip zones featuring refined geometric patterning evidence careful consideration of haptic feedback and ergonomic security, acknowledging that touch remains fundamental to confident vehicle control. The compositional relationship between steering mechanism and surrounding dashboard environment demonstrates holistic interior design thinking, where component and context achieve material and chromatic harmony. One might observe how the design balances technological capability with approachable warmth, avoiding the cold austerity sometimes associated with advanced automotive interfaces. The work invites consideration of how future mobility experiences might further integrate digital information, physical control, and aesthetic refinement into seamlessly unified systems that honor both human factors and visual sophistication.
Press Kit
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.