Gadget Turns Your Car's Steering Wheel Into an Electronic Drum Set

Bored with driving? Now there's "Reinventing the Wheel (RITW)," a steering wheel cover that lets you entertain yourself by playing a drum set along with whatever you're listening to on your car stereo. And no, this is not a late April Fools' Day joke.

Made by the Smack Attack Corporation, the $149.99 device fits around an ordinary steering wheel, turning it into an electronic drum set that can play eight different drum sounds and a lot more.

The sounds aren't limited to drums. You can add any other sounds to its onboard storage, triggering them from whichever one of the its eight sensors you choose. The company offers a variety of sounds you can upload, or you can create your own and upload those. It can record all of your musical masterpieces, and you can even overdub your performances on top of each other.

The sound from the RITW is output via FM radio to your car stereo, where it can be mixed with the music you're listening to.

The sound from the RITW is output via FM radio to your car stereo, where it can be mixed with the music you're listening to. There's also a "solo drumming" mode where you can take a big drum solo on your own without benefit of musical accompaniment.

If you have a newer car, you can plug your iPhone into the car's audio system, and then the RITW communicates with that iOS device via Bluetooth. In addition, that Bluetooth connection lets you wirelessly add drums to any track you have on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The company also offers drum karaoke tracks, consisting of songs with the drum parts removed, and you can upload your own drum karaoke tracks.

This sounds like an elaborate toy for your car's steering wheel, but I think any device that takes your mind off driving needs to be carefully scrutinized, and is probably dangerous. In the case of this steering wheel cover, Smack Attack's inventor Gregor Hanuschak disagrees. He says his product is not the same as other driver distractions, such as texting while driving.

He told Mashable, "I've found (and most would agree) that tapping on your steering wheel does not require your full attention and definitely does not distract from watching the road. Your eyes never need to leave the road while tapping. Obviously texting requires you to look away from the road and that behavior is a completely different beast entirely." He claims the device "keeps drivers alert — this was the inspiration for inventing the product!" Another claim is that "sleep researchers are finding the best way to combat highway hypnosis is through auditory and tactile stimulation ... and this product provides both!"

But doesn't tapping on your steering wheel along with the music require at least a small part of your attention? When we visited the National Advanced Driving Simulator at the University of Iowa, researchers told us that anything that takes your mind off driving lengthens your reaction time and makes you a less-competent driver.

We talked with scientist Timothy Brown, Ph. D., who is a researcher of distracted driving at that driving simulator, about the "Reinventing the Wheel" steering wheel cover, asking him if he thought it was too distracting for driving. He said, "It's probably not one the most distracting things in the world, but if it delves into a game where you're trying to hit the right drum pad with the music, that becomes a little more complicated and needs to be considered."

Dr. Brown was careful to point out the many variables that go into driver distraction, including the skill of the driver, the driver's degree of fatigue or drowsiness, road conditions, the amount of traffic, and the degree of distractions inside and outside the vehicle. Specifically about this steering-wheel drum set, he said, "When you're following along with music, you are mentally engaged in some level. It does take your mind off the roadway."

He said, "Without some empirical evidence, I can't jump to the conclusion that it's a benign effect." But he added that there are many other distracting things most drivers do every day. Brown said he can't be sure if this particular device is distracting or not in all circumstances. "I'm not an absolutist," he said. "There are circumstances where you can do things that are above and beyond just driving. There is some safety margin in the driving system that people can accommodate. Everyone is different. Different driving environments are different. The amount of driving demand varies, and that needs to be taken into account."

Hanuschak, inventor of the steering wheel cover/drum machine, is aware of the problem of distracted driving, and emphasizes driver responsibility while using his product and other sources of distraction in a vehicle. He said, "Obviously, people must be aware of driving conditions and act responsibly. You don't take a sip of your coffee when you're taking an exit, adjust your radio or climate control when you're trying to switch lanes, or play with or look at your GPS while making a sharp turn. You shouldn't ever set your GPS while you're moving and you shouldn't set your RITW sounds while you're moving, either."

"He's right," said Dr. Brown, adding, "It comes back on the driver. I think we always have to keep in mind that the driver has to make smart choices. Even if you can do something in a vehicle, you have to make the choice of when you do these things. It's a delicate balance. If you're using 100% of your attention resources and the driving environment changes — say a kid runs into the roadway — that slows your reaction time."

"Reinventing the Wheel" will be a Kickstarter project, scheduled to be unveiled on Saturday, April 20.

What do you think, readers? Will this car toy reinvent the wheel — keeping drivers alert — or is it yet another distraction manufacturers are introducing into an environment where drivers are already enticed by too much "infotainment?"

Photo courtesy Smack Attack Corp.