Old challenges. New solutions.

ROboMObil – trendsetting steer-by-wire

In 1886, Carl Benz applied for a patent for the first automobile. A great move.
But have you ever wondered why this pioneer of today's cars only has one front tire? It is an attempt to simplify one of the automobile's most pressing problems: The steering.

Over a hundred years later, the German Aerospace Center is facing a similar challenge.
The research institute has developed a very special vehicle in recent years.

The ROboMObil is as agile as a crab – it can turn on the spot or even drive completely sideways.
This is made possible by equipping the ROboMObil with so-called wheel robots.
That is, each of the four vehicle wheels contains its own drive, steering, damping and brake.
The new technology is ingenious, but to control it with a steering wheel would be impossible.
A steering wheel can cover only one axis, but not the second, for i.e. driving sideways.

Time for new concepts. Time for Sensodrive.

In an outstanding project we installed a "SENSO-Stick" in the ROboMObil.
The force feedback joystick has three active degrees of freedom and manages the ROboMObil's steering with ease.
Sensitive force feedback makes steering the ROboMObil intuitive and safe.

The ROboMObil project is the proof: The steering wheel's time is running out. The rapid developments that the automotive industry is currently experiencing – including fully automated driving – call for new ideas and modern technologies.

Be ready. We are.


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Force-Feedback Products

Force-Feedback Joystick SensoStick