Volkswagen aims to offer drivers more control without taking their hands off the steering wheel.

According to a media report, Volkswagen has filed a patent that could see the carmaker ditch the indicator stalks and replace them with buttons on the steering wheel. While buttons on the centre of the steering wheel is nothing new, Volkswagen though is looking at integrating the controls on the ring of the steering wheel.

The buttons will be positioned close to where the driver’s hand grips the wheel, with reports stating that they could be used for both operating the turn signals as well as the headlights. As per the patent document, the ring of the steering wheel will get two sets of buttons on both the left and right sides.

Further, to activate a function, the first button must be pressed until a second button is selected. Stating an example, the first button activates the car’s headlights, while the second button will determine which light is to be activated – low beam, high beam or fog lamps. It also works similarly for indicators, the first button is for the turn signal, while the buttons on the other side determine if the left or right one gets activated. Reports also state that all the inputs have to be done under a certain timeframe, or else the function will not be activated.

With the new tech, Volkswagen aims to offer drivers more control without taking their hands off the steering wheel.

However, as with all patents, it remains to be seen whether or not the tech actually makes it onto a production model anytime in the future.

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