Toronto, Ontario — Ferrari has recently published a patent for a vehicle controlled by two joysticks rather than a traditional steering system.
Published on November 16 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the patent describes a system in which a joystick would be located on either side of the driver’s seat, and moving them in combination would help to position the vehicle.
Specifically, the joysticks would control the direction that the car turns as well as how much it travels sideways.
Acceleration and braking could still be controlled by the traditional pedals, but the patent also notes that drivers could instead use the buttons or triggers mounted on the joysticks.
Ferrari does not note the advantages of this shift in tech but does highlight that forklifts are already controlled by joysticks.
In Europe, Saab did build a prototype of a car with a joystick as part of a European program aimed at improving car safety. However, this model was found to be difficult to use and was quickly dropped by the company.
While there is no guarantee that Ferrari will move forward with these plans, other automakers, such as Lexus are moving ahead with less traditional steering yokes in the near future.
