Editor’s note: This content was updated with more technical specs and details about the GenSteer technology.
At this year’s massive CONEXPO show, Waukesha, Wis.-based component manufacturer HUSCO showed off its steer-by-wire (SbW) platform called GenSteer, which was selected as the “Next Level Award winner” in the Equipment category at the show.
GenSteer eliminates redundant electronics and costly backup systems by instantly switching to operator powered control during faults, making digital steering practical and scalable while delivering fail functional safety for off-highway OEMs.
Ben Holter (left) and Simon Yardley (right) of HUSCO.
Simon Yardley, Director of Business Development & Corporate Marketing for the company, along with Ben Holter, Product Director, Mechatronics, provided details at a live press conference at the show, where they explained how GenSteer represents a giant leap forward for the evolution of steer-by-wire for the construction, agriculture, mining, and material handling industries.
Holter explained that steering is on everything from marine vehicles to off-highway machinery to automotive. And many people think steer-by-wire electronic assist steering exists today in these applications, but it actually doesn’t.
“There are very few examples today in the market of a road safe steer-by-wire system,” he said. “They all have a physical link from the operator to the steering axle. Now that physical link can be a linkage, it can be hydraulics, it can be electro-over-hydraulic — but there is always a physical link, and that presents two huge challenges.”
“One is the complexity. Imagine how in some machines the operator is a long way from the actual steering axle, so that makes it very difficult. And when you want to bring extra modes or extra features, it’s really complicated to have to add components, add more bits, more widgets, to make it as safe as the current system,” explained Holter. “We’ve seen advancements in other parts of vehicles. The throttle used to be a cable that went to the engine, but now it’s all pretty much electronic, so that you can get advanced features and maximize the engine.”
Husco’s GenSteer demo unit allowed users to see the fail-functional feature of the technology, so that if you lose power, you can continue to steer your vehicle to safety.
Bringing advanced, smart and even automated steering to off-highway machines has long come at a cost—literally and figuratively. Traditional hydro-mechanical systems rely on orbital valves, and current “add-on” electro-hydraulic manifolds that simply bolt automation onto old architecture. It works, but it’s bulky, inefficient, complicated and only qualified for field use—not the road.
Full SbW systems replace mechanical and hydraulic linkages entirely with electronic control. They meet on-road safety standards, but only through high redundancy and sophisticated feedback hardware, making them expensive and complex to implement. Between these extremes lies a gap the industry has yet to close: a safe, simple, and scalable path to off-highway SbW.
Instead of duplicating controllers, batteries, and software to meet safety standards, GenSteer reimagines the steering control unit from the ground up. It uses the operator’s own input as a fail-functional power source, just like traditional hydraulic orbitals. If a fault occurs, the system seamlessly transitions to operator-powered control with no lag, no loss of steering, and no backup electronics required.
HUSCO’s GenSteer fail-functional steer-by-wire platform allows users to enhance safety.
In normal operation, a force-feedback motor delivers real steering feel while electro-hydraulics control the wheels. During an electrical fault, GenSteer instantly becomes a generator, converting operator input into electrical power to control the hydraulic valve and maintain steering. This approach preserves trusted safety while unlocking digital control.
GenSteer removes the trade-off between cost and capability. OEMs gain a scalable SbW architecture that:
- Preserves the inherent safety of legacy hydro-mechanical systems.
- Unlocks advanced features like lane guidance, return-to-center, and haptic feedback via software updates, not hardware overhauls.
- Reduces complexity and cost by eliminating redundant controllers and backup batteries.
“The GenSteer platform is designed to start simple and scale with you. OEMs don’t need every automation feature on day one to justify the investment,” Holter said. “Begin with a compact, compatible steering platform, then add capabilities like lane guidance, return-to-center, and haptic feedback as your needs evolve. It’s a practical on-ramp to Steer-by-Wire—without the heavy bill.”
Key benefits of the technology include
- Safety: Maintains control through faults. No surprises, no downtime.
- Cost: Eliminates redundant controllers, batteries, and complex harnesses.
- Future-Proof: Ready for software-driven feature drops without hardware changes.
- Sustainability: Fewer components mean less material waste and e-waste.
- Workforce: Digital performance tuning reduces fatigue and enhances operator safety.
Husco wants to allow machinery manufacturers to maximize today’s lesser skilled workforce, but also to give superpowers to the experienced workforce.
“We want to bring innovation within the cabin, and there’s a lot of different features where, once you’ve broken that physical link between the operator and the steering axle, then you can really start bringing in these incredibly cool features,” Holter said.
The product is designed to give OEMs a practical, scalable foundation for modern steering features, without the high complexity or costly redundancy that have historically slowed industry adoption. GenSteer enables:
- software-defined upgrades without the need to change hardware,
- redundancy without replication for true fail-functional safety,
- drop-in integration with minimal machine redesign, and
- a direct path to digital steering across all wheeled equipment.
“GenSteer is one of those rare innovations that immediately changes the conversation around steer-by-wire adoption in off-highway applications. Being named a Next Level Award finalist tells us the industry sees the significance, too. This isn’t an incremental improvement; it’s the beginning of a new era for digital control across all wheeled equipment,” said Holter.
HUSCO
www.husco.com
Filed Under: Controls, News
