Continuously variable planetary gear set

A vehicle having a power-assisted steering system, the vehicle comprising:

• a chassis adapted for transporting passengers;
• a plurality of drive wheels operationally coupled to the chassis;
• a rack and pinion steering assembly operationally coupled to the drive wheels;
• a steering shaft connected to a pinion of the rack and pinion assembly;
• a steering wheel connected to the steering shaft;
• a plurality of traction rollers distributed radially about the steering shaft, each roller having a tiltable axis about which it rotates;
• an input disc in contact with the rollers;
• an output disc in contact with the rollers;
• an idler coaxial with and rotatable about the steering shaft, the idler in contact with the rollers;
• a cage adapted to maintain a radial and axial orientation of the rollers about the idler, wherein the cage is adapted to rotate about the steering shaft;
• a tubular output shaft positioned coaxially about the steering shaft and connected at a first end to the output disc and connected at a second end to the pinion;
• and
• a source of rotational power, wherein the input disc is fixed and does not rotate and wherein the source of rotational power is coupled to the cage;
• wherein the axes of the rollers tilt in response to a shift in an angular orientation of the steering shaft;
• and
• wherein the rollers convert the rotational power of the source to an output torque transmitted through the output disc to the output shaft in response to a shift in the angular orientation of the steering shaft.