Ford engineer builds haptic shift **** with 3D printer, Xbox controller

Vehicles with manual transmissions have been equipped with shift indicators (illuminated or audible) for decades. While some are used to improve performance, most are designed to encourage more fuel-efficient driving. Regardless of the original objective, nearly all drivers become desensitized or learn to ignore the illuminated lights and arrows after just a few short hours behind the wheel.

Enter Zachary Nelson, a recent MIT graduate and an engineer with Ford. Working at the automaker's Research and Innovation Center in Dearborn, Michigan, Nelson devised a haptic shift **** that vibrates when it's time to select another gear. "I wanted to create something that expands the car's capabilities and improves the experience for the driver," said Nelson. "I decided to use OpenXC to provide a new kind of feedback for the driver through the shift ****."

The process, greatly simplified, has the vehicle transmitting data wirelessly from its on-board diagnostics (OBD) port using a Bluetooth OpenXC adapter. The **** uses the innards of a Microsoft Xbox 360 controller for vibration. "I decided to have a little fun with it and installed an LED display on top that shows the gear position and colored lights that glow from inside at night similar to the ambient lighting in Mustang," adds Nelson.


http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/29/f...troller-video/

 

We're going to see more car parts being made from additive manufacturing. For one, you can print most stuff quicker than you can machine, especially if the object is complex. I had the pleasure of using 3D printing machines and they're quite amazing.

 

very clever little haptic shift ****