What term describes the category of inventions Spikes focused on, encompassing the gear shift, brake, and turn signal?
Answer
Driver assistance systems
The compilation of Spikes' most critical inventions—the automatic gear shift, the automatic brake, and the turn signal—strongly suggests a deep commitment to what are now broadly categorized as driver assistance systems. These mechanisms are designed to help the operator manage crucial, life-critical functions like controlling power delivery, stopping power, and signaling intent, allowing the driver to concentrate attention outward on road conditions rather than inward on complex control manipulation. Spikes engineered solutions to aid in situational awareness and vehicle control long before this terminology became standard.
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