Ford’s Vibrating Shifter Teaches Simpletons How to Drive a Manual

 

Manual transmissions are better. Period. End of story. Yes, yes, we know. Sequential and dual-clutch transmissions change gears faster than any mortal possibly can, which is why even Porsche — Porsche — requires paddles instead of a proper lever in its flagship model. But unless your name is Sebastian Vettel or Sebastian Loeb, driving isn’t putting down the fastest time. It’s about having the most fun. And on that score, flicking a lever always beats squeezing a paddle.

Of course, properly shifting a car is a skill, one increasingly being lost as automatics and — gasp! — CVTs become the norm. Which is why we’re stoked to hear an engineer at Ford has made it easier than ever for n00bs to learn how to properly row their own gears.
Zach Nelson, a junior engineer at Ford, ripped the haptic feedback motor out of an Xbox 360 controller and put it inside a custom shifter he printed on a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic. He installed an Arduino controller and connected an Android tablet with a mini-USB port and a Bluetooth receiver, then tapped the Mustang’s on-board diagnostic system using Ford’s open source OpenXC software platform.

Photo: Ford

That gave Nelson reams of real-time data to play with, including engine speed (RPM, for you non-car guys) and accelerator position. Using that information, the shift knob can be programmed to vibrate as the engine approaches redline (good for performance runs) or its most efficient shift point (for better fuel economy). It can even be programmed to tell an absolute beginner when to shift, in case the howl of a 5.0 approaching 7,000 RPM isn’t a big enough clue. “The vibrating knob can be installed onto the stock shift lever, and I’ve tested it on several vehicles including Mustang and Focus ST,” Nelson said. “I decided to have a little fun with it and installed an LED display on top that shows the gear position.”
Ford’s release of OpenXC is one of the first in the industry and could be a boon for aftermarket companies to develop new, innovative apps that tap into the vehicle’s system for information, while not allowing modifications to the core software, keeping things safe and secure.
And if you want to build it yourself, all you need is some cash, some code, and a trip to Staples.