Wheel X 方向盤 by Zijie Liu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award 銀獎 in 車輛配件設計 Competition Category.

銀車輛配件· 2022

Wheel X 方向盤

by Zijie Liu

A' Design Award 銀獎 Winner in 車輛配件 Category

46,027
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #139102

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Wheel X 方向盤

Wheel X 係一款為未來汽車而設計嘅概念方向盤。佢嘅造型會因應駕駛者喺唔同駕駛情況下嘅需要而作出反應。握把可以自動伸展同旋轉，喺三種模式之間切換：無人駕駛、自然駕駛同運動駕駛。喺自然狀態下，形狀係圓潤而順滑。㩒一㩒掣，握把就會由 O 形轉成 W 形，內側表面會呈現凸起紋理，外側就會出現動態燈光效果。骨架採用鋅合金，外殼就用咗 PU 同 TPEE。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銀獎

Wheel X 方向盤是 A' Design Award 銀獎得主，這是授予頂級、華美而令人印象深刻的設計的極為崇高的認可。銀獎得主是極其卓越、極具創造力的作品，展現出其設計師傑出的專業技能、才華與敏銳。預計Wheel X 方向盤將成為一件出色的典範之作，兼具非凡的專業性與深刻的創新性。這件贏得 A' Design Award 銀獎的設計是一項備受矚目、令人欽佩的發明，造福並拓展藝術、科學、設計和技術的界限。Wheel X 方向盤是一件令人羨慕的創作，它喚起渴望，帶來積極的情感，並激發驚嘆與讚嘆。

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.