Bosch wants to bring steer-by-wire systems to the market on a commercial scale by the middle of the decade. Together with the startup Arnold NextG, the supplier of technology and services is taking the next step. The two partners have recently entered into an alliance to pool their development expertise and accelerate the process of readying the solutions for the market.

Steer-by-wire systems are considered the steering systems of the future. As one of the world’s leading suppliers of electric steering systems, Bosch recognized the potential of steer-by-wire systems early on and is systematically driving their development forward. 

“We’re seeing rapidly rising demand for steer-by-wire systems. This should prove to be an exceptionally large market over the long term – especially, although by no means only, for the age of automated driving. We’re excited to see the momentum this alliance will lend to our work on system optimization,” says Dr. Gerta Marliani, president of Robert Bosch Automotive Steering GmbH. The aim of the partnership is to accelerate the large-scale production of steer-by-wire solutions.

Arnold NextG specializes in the development of multi-redundant drive-by-wire systems with all interfaces for autonomous driving in small and very small batch sizes. Founded in 2021, the startup has employees with over 20 years’ combined experience in street legal drive-by-wire technology, giving the company unique expertise in developing retrofit solutions for all by-wire applications. Experience has shown that, thanks to the redundancy of Arnold NextG technology, the authorities can issue system approvals for driving on public roads more quickly and efficiently. Together, Bosch and Arnold NextG aim to accelerate the development of systems that can be manufactured on a commercial scale.

Steer-by-wire applications eliminate the physical connection between a vehicle’s steering wheel and its wheels. This opens up new possibilities for, say, redesigning the vehicle interior: the steering wheel can be lowered or stowed away, giving rise to entirely new cockpit concepts, especially in an age of automated driving. The technology also enables new safety features in vehicle dynamics control. For instance, even small automated steering interventions can stabilize the vehicle without the driver at the wheel even noticing. In addition, the vehicle’s driving feel can be tailored to the requirements of individual vehicle manufacturers.

Source: Bosch