Industrial - Bachelor
The BMW M8 Megalodon reimagines the steering wheel for Level 3 semi-autonomous driving. It transforms from manual to autonomous mode by retracting into the dash, creating space while maintaining driver connection. The design enhances comfort, awareness, and performance through intelligent feedback, ergonomic form, and a focus on driver experience.
Drivers performed light tasks such as checking their phone, watching media, or chatting.
Users preferred gradual, multimodal alerts rather than sudden ones.
Uses wanted the car to communicate its intentions clearly to the driver.
Users preferred a familiar wheel form but wanted more space and comfort during autonomy.
These four insights became the foundation of my design process. They revealed a clear tension: users wanted more freedom and space during autonomous driving, but also needed the steering wheel to stay visible as a source of trust. One participant summarised it perfectly:
“I don’t want it gone,
Observation participant
I just want it out of my space.”
Using insights from my research, I explored a range of steering wheel concepts, testing how form, and function could evolve in semi-autonomous driving. The early directions included retractable systems, multi-mode wheels, and even concepts that transformed into productivity surfaces.
After evaluating these ideas, I combined the strongest elements into a single cohesive concept that enhanced space, feedback, and driver experience.
Digital and physical prototypes were developed to refine proportions, ergonomics, and mechanical feasibility.
This iterative process led to the creation of the BMW M8 Megalodon, a steering wheel designed to transform between manual and autonomous driving while maintaining the driver’s connection to the car.
At the core of the design is a transformation mechanism that adapts between manual and autonomous driving. When the vehicle enters autonomous mode, the lower spoke slides into the steering column, and the column retracts into the dash. This creates more space for the driver while keeping the wheel visible and within reach for reassurance. The system uses BMW’s existing linear actuator and steer-by-wire technology, ensuring smooth, reliable motion between modes.
An adaptive turquoise lighting system is integrated into the wheel frame to communicate vehicle behaviour. The lights glow on the side of the wheel in the direction of turn, all lights brighten during braking, and pulse during a Takeover Request as the wheel moves back toward the driver. These visual cues, supported by gentle audio feedback, help build trust and maintain driver awareness without sudden alerts.
During autonomy, a secondary screen slides through the wheel frame and aligns with BMW’s Panoramic Vision display, forming one continuous horizon-level interface. This brings entertainment and navigation closer to the driver’s natural eyeline, improving comfort, posture, and peripheral awareness while reducing the urge to look down or away from the road.
Since autonomous mode manages the more tedious driving, such as commuting or traffic, manual driving should feel rewarding and engaging. The wheel’s F1-inspired rectangular form delivers a sporty, precise feel that reflects the fun, performance-focused nature of the M8. Flattened edges provide extra legroom and visibility, while tilted sides match the natural inward wrist angle for comfort and control. Research confirms that the 9-and-3 hand position enhances safety and handling, making this geometry both intuitive and driver-focused. Every control is mechanical, offering precise tactile feedback in response to user preference for physical buttons over touch controls.
The wheel is designed to be fully serviceable, with components assembled using screws and clips so it can be easily disassembled and repaired when needed. It’s constructed from Merino leather, anodised aluminium, and ABS housing, achieving a balance of luxury, durability, and in suit with BMW luxuary performace styling.
Brooklyn Gossling is an Industrial Design and Mechanical Engineering student whose work blends creativity with technical precision. He strives to create innovative, user-focused solutions across technology, automotive, and engineering industries through thoughtful and effective design.