Bloodhound steering wheel design finalised

Early concepts of the wheel were developed in clay from Green's hand imprints in the triple layer fireproof gloves he will wear for the record attempt. CPD took these initial designs and focused on optimising for a range of considerations, including ergonomics, usability and aesthetics. The final design was then rapid prototyped at CPD and delivered to the Bloodhound team in Bristol for testing and approval. Karl Hewson, usability and design engineer, CPD, said: "We retained the original geometry derived from the clay model of the grip area and repositioned the forward facing button locations to fit within Andy's thumb pivot points. "The new layout now allows a single fluid rotation movement of the thumb to transition from the power grip used when driving into an activation grip required to press buttons. This revised position could save between 0.5 and 3 football pitches of distance during the deceleration phase of each run; time which is vital when preparing the car for its return run." The final steering wheel will be manufactured using the latest titanium additive manufacturing technology, ahead of the Bloodhound SSC's official land speed record attempt in South Africa next year.