Some could argue that the steering wheel is near perfect in its function. It is remarkably intuitive. Its round shape suggests that it is meant to "turn" and if you turn it to the left, the car goes to the left and when you turn it to the right, the car goes to the right. Not very complex at all, right?

Sure, there has been additional functionality added to steering wheels over time such as air bags for safety, buttons for controlling infotainment and driving modes, heating and cooling for comfort, and some slight modifications to shape such as a flat-bottom style wheel commonly found in performance cars. Yet, automakers continue push the limits of steering wheel design.

GM Authority recently reported on a patent filed by General Motors for an "adaptive steering wheel rim" that can change its thickness on the fly to adapt to different driving conditions or preferences by the user."

The system would pump a fluid into the rim to inflate a series of bladders which would bulge out and effectively make the steering rim easier to grip. We can see how that concept would seem strange but there are some practical applications. For example, imagine a high-performance supercar like the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 which has a smaller, thick-rimmed wheel that is tailor-made for track days. If that wheel were adaptive, it could automatically thin itself out for more comfortable driving on the street.

This patent from GM is nothing new when it comes to automakers tinkering around with steering wheel design. One only needs to look at the controversial yoke steering wheel from the Tesla Model S Plaid for a recent example. Tesla's thinking was that its driver assistance software is so good that drivers will seldom need to go hand-over-hand. Some people lauded the yoke wheel while others shunned it. A market for yoke wheel "fixes" quickly sprouted from the controversial design. We even tested one of those fixes.

GM and Tesla aren't the only automakers to play around with steering wheel design. Toyota is experimenting with a yoke steering wheel on the 2023 Lexus RZ EV SUV. The 2023 Toyota bZ4X on the other hand elected to stick to a traditional wheel.

Like GM, Toyota has also filed a patent for an adaptive steering wheel but its design is more in the interest of safety rather than driver preference or driving conditions. Essentially, Toyota's system would change the grip on the steering wheel to help prevent making dangerous maneuvers.

Toyota's patent also focuses specifically on grip rather than wheel size. However, rather than the fluid and bladder method from GM's patent, Toyota details several ways wheel grip can be altered including using a compressor to blow air or create a vacuum between the drivers hands.

Time will tell if GM or Toyota will ever put any of these adaptive wheel designs in production vehicles. With semi-autonomous and self-driving vehicles becoming an allegedly inevitable part of the future, these patents may soon be moot anyway.