Exploring a Novel Ball‐Shaped Steering Mechanism System Architecture and Preliminary User Feedback

Heavy-duty vehicle operators often suffer from elevated muscle strain when making low-speed or tight turns due to high steering torque demands.This study presents a pilot evaluation of a novel ball-shaped steering mechanism designed to improve usability and reduce muscle stress compared to a conventional steering wheel (CSW).Our prototype maps ball rotations (pitch, roll, yaw) into throttle, braking, and steering commands, simulating a potential drive-by-wire setup.We ran a small pilot comparing two different mappings (roll-based vs. yaw-based) against a conventional steering wheel.Early observations suggest that both ball-based mappings reduce arm-acceleration (as a rough proxy for muscle stress) by approximately 60-70%.However, survey data indicates that participants still preferred the conventional wheel for precise control.We discuss the mechanical design, preliminary pilot data, and planned improvements, such as haptic return springs and more robust EMG measurements, to guide future heavy-vehicle applications.