Power steering
Power steering is a system for reducing the steering effort on vehicles by using an external power source to assist in turning the roadwheels. The earliest known patent related to power steering was filed (as recorded by the US Patent Office) on August 30, 1932, by Francis W. Davis.[1] There is another inventor credited with the invention of power steering by the name of Charles F. Hammond (an American, born in Detroit), who filed similar patents, the first of which was filed (as recorded by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office) on February 16, 1954.[2] Chrysler Corporation introduced the first commercially available power steering system on the 1951 Chrysler Imperial under the name Hydraguide. Most new vehicles now have power steering, owing to the trends toward front wheel drive, greater vehicle mass and wider tires, which all increase the required steering effort. Modern vehicles would be extremely difficult to maneuver at low speeds (e.g., when parking) without assistance.
