So you know how you are sitting at a red light, jamming to your music, and you can’t help but drum on the steering wheel? What if you could make real drum sounds instead of dull thumps?
The product ridiculously named “Re-Inventing The Wheel (or RITW)” is an electronic drum pad that covers your steering wheel and links wirelessly with your car’s speakers and your iPhone. The gizmo, which is the focus of a Kickstarter campaign, emits drum sounds through the car stereo via an FM transmitter or line-in jack as you rock along to your favorite tunes on your iPhone. RITW has eight sensors that can be set to trigger a snare, tom, cowbell, or any drum sound you like, or effects like dog barks or even Chewbacca’s howl. You also can hear your own drumming — solo or with background music — through earphones or mini speakers.
You might think this could distract you while driving, putting yourself and others at risk. But developer Smack Attack says it can reduce “highway hypnosis,” a trance-like state in which the driver’s mind is not focused on the road. This state we all know well: the one where you are driving, especially on a route you drive often, and you sort of zone out, not listening to anything on the radio, just to the thoughts running through your head. You snap out of it and all of a sudden you realize you’ve gone 15 miles and literally don’t have any clue how you got there.
This super cool device could not only be a safe distraction (how ironic) but it could also be a grand source of entertainment while you are sitting in morning traffic jams, dreading the day ahead. It could also give you and your friends something to do when you are riding to eat or the movies. Either way, it will definitely liven up the otherwise droning driving you do. We could all use a little music in our lives!
