Joystick controled car?

[Cogman]

Just read this at Slashdot

http://www.networkworld.com/ne...-wheel-here-comes.html

Toyota is experimenting with a joystick controlled compact car.

This is, IMO, a BAD idea. It just screams roll over for the guy that pushes too hard on the joystick. Not only that, but it would really make it hard to learn without getting a few bumps.

Joystick driving is good for riding lawn mowers and tractors that need to make turns in tight spaces, it is not good for cars going 60.

 

[amdhunter]

DSG, Joysticks, Lane-keeping computers - carmakers are really taking all the fun out of driving.

 

[ViviTheMage]

no thanks

 

[Crusty]

Wouldn't there be a computer controlling the actual car... like fly-by-wire? If so I don't see how rollovers from pushing the stick too hard would be a problem.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

yeah that sounds pretty dangerous..

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Would need to be one big stick, so that it is less sensitive to light touches and has a wider range of motion.

 

[darkxshade]

Yea, the joystick is ridiculous. Now if they invent a "wasd" controlled car, I'm all over it.

 

[waggy]

I don't think it would be that hard to do I think i could adapt pretty fast.

 

[destrekor]

in the future it'll be more friendly.

Take digital fly-by-wire control systems, implement it into an onboard computer for automobiles, add speed-sensitive steering, in addition to recent advancements and further refinement of vehicle position monitoring systems that locate and maneuver according to other vehicles and lanes... and you have a very fine control system for vehicles.

It should be an option. People looking for a car to be a tool to utilize, get that option please. You're statistically likely to be a worse driver, I want to know your car is picking up some of the slack in driving skills.

People who enjoy driving and have appropriate driving skill, let them keep more manual vehicular controls.

The issue is going to be refining software control to allow for human override in scenarios every variable cannot be accounted for. Accident avoidance will be a difficult system to implement perfectly considering high-traffic roadways + automated avoidance systems = likely the cause of more accident, if human judgment cannot be taken out of the picture in regards to other drivers.

A roadway filled with entirely computer-controlled systems and flight-by-wire driver input would be entirely ideal, because all cars are on the same level and driver input will be ignored if the situation requires it... the solution being all cars in a given crash scenario are ignoring the human input and recognizing the other vehicles.
This of course requires cars to talk to each other, giving wireless situation prompts to nearby vehicles.
And that's just creepy.

 

[Fritzo]

I don't know- I kind of kick ass in Need for Speed with a joystick.

 

[tasmanian]

I foresee a need for speed shift problem. Where your going down a straight away and try to alter your steering a little and spin the fuck out.

 

[0roo0roo]

who needs a mouse when u got a jobstick!

 

[FoBoT]

does it make the car cheaper? safer?


just cooler?

 

[coldmeat]

Would it control gas and brake as well?

 

[Crono]

Joystick is good for added direction, like up and down, but since you only need left/right (keep acceleration and braking separate, please), I can't see how switching to a joystick would help. You get plenty of control with steering wheel.