Steering wheels are enormous because that allows fine grain control, which you need at higher speeds. Switching lane at 70mph requires only very slight movement but turning the car around in a street you can go full lock.
A joystick would be fucking TERRIFYINGLY stupid lmao
Some vehicles use steering by wire, which uses motors for i/o. This allows for steering sensitivity adjustments based on speed or even* preference.
True, but sensitivity is only half the story - the direct feedback of a wheel cannot be overstated
You’re right, but that should be part of the system.
There is virtually no noticeable lag.
The same technology is used by F1 vehicles, for example.
Fundamentally a joystick is a device that gives input in 2 dimensions, while steering a car is a 1 dimensional input.
Joysticks in remote controllers for toy helicopters are usually forced into one direction, you can just restrict one of the two dimensions
No it’s not terribly stupid. Handicapped people already use other controllers without any issues.
A steering wheel is already electronically adjusted for speed. The servo will work just as well regardless of the controller device.
Along with lane assistance and other “self driving cars” it should be pretty evident that there is nothing dangerous about giving up the physical turny wheely kindergarten toy controller.
It’s not just about precision, it’s about feedback. Being directly connected with the steering linkage gives valuable feedback about the road and the front wheels - just because handicapped people have an alternative that they may use out of necessity does not mean it’s a better solution.
In a fully autonomous car, sure perhaps a simple manual system as a backup makes sense but we aren’t there yet. You are talking absolute nonsense, and I can only assume you haven’t ever driven a vehicle.