A future with driverless cars may not be as far-fetched as you think! Japan automobile giant Nissan have revealed their plans to integrate steer-by-wire technology to cars rolled out to showrooms in 2013 – a significant development that could be the precursor to such fantasies as driverless cars.

Steer-by-wire technology involves electronic signals being sent from the steering wheel of the car to a computerised unit in control of the movement of the tyres. This technology is unlike mechanical links and are commonly used in aeroplanes. This is the first time that the steer-by-wire technology has been extended to mass-produced cars, and by doing so Nissan will set a new benchmark in the automobile industry.

This week, Nissan Motor Co announced its intention to incorporate the steer-by-wire technology to its brand of luxury cars, Infiniti, within a year. This technology would not only allow for a future with cars controlled by joysticks but also pave the way for an environment where car crashes can be avoided automatically.

Nissan engineer, Masaharu Satou, said: “In the future, if we are freed from that, we would be able to place the steering wheel wherever we like, such as in the back seat, or it would be possible to steer the car with a joystick.”

Other carmakers, like Audi’s A2, have already introduced the steer-by-wire technology to their concept cars. However, Nissan is the first to apply the technology to mass-produced cars.

Tetsuya Iijima, a Nissan engineer, said: “We are thinking about the essentials — what kind of a tool should cars be for humans? By controlling its hands and feet, as well as the eyes and the brain, cars are on its way to becoming an extension of robots.”