Mando Corporation, a global auto parts company, won the Innovation Award in the CES 2021 Vehicle Intelligence & Transportation (VIT) category. Fifteen companies, including Google, IBM, Bosch and Continental, also received the awards in the same category.
The value that Mando’s SbW (Steer-by-Wire: Free-Mounted Type Advanced Steering System) offers to customers (car makers and consumers) is freedom and safety.
In terms of automobile design, the challenge for the past 120 years has been the separation of the body (driving space) and the chassis (space for moving the vehicle). In particular, electric cars, known to have relatively freer design flexibility, needed independent wheels (chassis) and steering wheel for the efficiency in mass production including batteries and freedom of system control, but there was no technology to replace mechanical connections.
SbW is a pure electronic product, and Electrical Signal (by Wire) replaces mechanical movement. Thus, it provides great architectural freedom to vehicle design. With SbW, steering wheel can be freely located according to the purpose of the vehicle, and can also be designed with Auto Stow (take out and use when needed) function. If a steering wheel disappears, the indoor space utilization can be maximized. In a fully autonomous vehicle, the driver becomes a passenger and the vehicle space turns into a living space. The driver’s seat can also be rotated 180 degrees to face other passengers. More diverse self-driving experiences such as reading, playing games and watching movies will be possible.
The core components of SbW are designed as the Dual Redundant Safety System. Even with a single system failure, the entire system will continue to operate normally. Fail information is automatically recorded for future analysis. Redundancy is a technology that is absolutely indispensable to enable and expedite the era of future mobility such as fully autonomous driving, remote control and more. Mando’s technology that stemmed from Freedom and Safety was once again recognized around the world as it won the CES Innovation Award. Mando’s SbW is expected to be mass-produced in North America next year.
