Rivian Noticed Your Complaints About Touchscreens, So They Went Above and Beyond with Scroll Wheels.
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Rivian has unveiled its groundbreaking Halo wheels, featuring software-driven controls that provide a customizable haptic experience, improving user interaction.
The engineering complexity behind these wheels emphasizes simplicity. The Halo wheels utilize motors and software to offer adjustable feedback, similar to the haptic feedback found on iPhones.
These wheels offer multifunctionality, allowing control over drive modes, climate settings, audio, and more, all adjusted according to screen interactions.
Rivian's Halo wheels present a unique market advantage, delivering a tactile experience that competitors can't match, distinguishing the R2 model.
In summary, the R2 model by Rivian showcases revolutionary Halo wheels that merge software innovation with tactile feedback to enhance vehicle control and the overall user experience.
With fewer buttons, knobs, and toggles in a Rivian, the startup has acknowledged this criticism. The team has channeled that energy into engineering a more sophisticated method for interacting with vehicle controls.
In an exclusive interview during the latest episode of The Drivecast in Park City, Utah, Rivian's Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe stated, “We aimed to enhance the haptic experience, and the development of the Halo wheels was integral to that, requiring significant engineering effort.”
You can listen to the full conversation starting from when Scaringe discusses physical controls, the Halo wheels, and user interaction with a Rivian below.
Scaringe acknowledged the challenges involved in engineering the Halo wheels. “The haptic wheels on the steering wheel represent a substantial engineering effort because as you rotate them and hear the haptic clicks, that’s driven by software. Unlike a conventional wheel, there aren’t any indents that produce a physical click,” Scaringe explained.
Detailing the intricate engineering, Scaringe noted, “There’s a small motor responsible for the torque rise and fall.” This method mirrors the silence/vibrate functionality of an iPhone. He elaborated, “It’s entirely software-driven. The advantage is that these wheels are fully configurable. While they provide haptic clicks, they can update based on the screen you’re on, or if we release an over-the-air update to modify vehicle capabilities, the haptic wheels can adapt accordingly. This alignment with a multi-touch screen allows for continual refreshing and updating. However, we also aimed for a richer haptic experience, which was a major engineering focus that was much more complex than it appears. Inside each wheel, there’s a circuit board, a motor, a motor driver, and cooling systems; it’s quite intricate. Additionally, we’ve thoughtfully designed the stalks and included knobs for speed adjustments while in self-driving mode.”
Rivian’s Chief Software Engineer Wassym Bensaid stated to The Drive, “We approached this with a fundamental perspective on introducing a tactile, touch experience without overcrowding the user interface.”
Bensaid continued, “This led us to develop software-defined haptics, which offers different types of feedback based on the action taken, and allows for configuration through software.”
The head of Rivian's software also expressed confidence in their design. During early testing at the R2 launch, the Halo wheels on the steering wheel proved to be a standout feature, unlike anything else currently available on the market. Positioned on an axis, the silver wheels with satisfying notches can be rotated, pushed, slid, and pulled.
Located on each side of the steering wheel, the Halo wheels correspond to functions displayed on the digital gauge cluster, depending on how they are manipulated. The right Halo wheel can adjust drive modes, climate control settings (including fan speed and temperature), and display mode. The left Halo wheel can modify audio volume, display efficiency, audio functions, and vehicle status such as tire pressures.
The Halo wheels provide an exceptionally enjoyable interactive experience, offering a gratifying click sensation with every action. Bensaid mentioned, “Depending on the menu, the functionality will vary, and even the feel of the action will differ significantly.”
Bensaid's assessment is spot-on. The Halo wheels operate uniquely and certainly differentiate the R2 model.
Have a tip about future technology? Reach out to us at tips@thedrive.com.
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Rivian Noticed Your Complaints About Touchscreens, So They Went Above and Beyond with Scroll Wheels.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe revealed to The Drive the functionality of the R2's software-defined Halo wheels, explaining that the clicks you experience are not mechanical in nature.