Rivian Launches Haptic Halo Wheels for Multi-Axis Physical Control

en.Wedoany.com Reported - American automaker Rivian has introduced the Haptic Halo Wheels system on its R2 model. These large rollers mounted on both sides of the steering wheel provide drivers with physical control over common functions such as volume, temperature, and fan speed, aiming to reduce reliance on the touchscreen.

The rollers are designed to be vertically mounted with the edge facing the driver, allowing thumb scrolling up and down. In addition to scrolling, the rollers support pressing, pulling, and tilting left or right. The rollers are relatively large, protruding from the back of the steering wheel spokes, enabling drivers to pull them from the back with their fingertips to access additional functions. The scrolling action is equipped with haptic feedback; a motor changes resistance to let the driver perceive option switching, and produces a physical stop-like rebound sensation when reaching the end of a list.

According to Rivian's Chief Design Officer, Jeff Hammoud, the system originated from a clear customer demand for physical knobs, with the most prominent needs being physical control over fan speed, temperature, and volume. The design team initially proposed a roller sketch by designer Roman Mistiuk, which resembles a small metal knob with a "floating" visual effect passing through the steering wheel. During development, the team used Arduino boards and 3D printers to create prototypes, and worked with Proto Pie prototyping tools to build a user interface framework supporting full omnidirectional movement (left/right tilt, push/pull).

The technical challenge lay in packaging engineering. Since the rollers need to be positioned away from the steering wheel spokes, all components (including circuit boards and haptic motors) had to be custom-designed and integrated into a compact space. The electrical engineering team specifically designed custom circuit boards for this purpose. During durability validation, the team conducted cold chamber and high-temperature tests, and faced material selection challenges: they needed to find a material that would not overheat in summer while avoiding metal to prevent interference with side pressure sensors.

In terms of function allocation, the right roller defaults to controlling fan speed and temperature, with left/right sliding to switch between them; the left roller, when pulled from behind, can switch small widget displays (such as tire pressure, efficiency, navigation, or media indicators). The system is designed to be "ready-to-use" rather than requiring mandatory learning, ensuring normal driving even without deep user understanding. Hammoud stated that the system's software-defined nature allows continuous updates to optimize subtle actions, such as developing an update to resist unintended volume changes when pressing the side.

Hammoud also revealed that the Haptic Halo Wheels have gaming control potential, with simple games like Pong and Magic Drawing Board offering an ideal experience on the rollers, though this application is not yet on the official roadmap. The team's subsequent direction is to continuously refine tactile feel and interaction details, striving to meet the numerous demands of tech-savvy users while maintaining a simple and easy first impression for novice users.