The BMW Honeycomb concept’s aim is not to reinvent the automobile, rather, it’s to entirely reshape the way we think about urban transportation! Inspired by the socially evolved bee, the system works as a colony of well-organized vehicles that communicate with each other and with users to get people where they need to be. When a user books one of the autonomous cars from their smartphone, it leaves the hub… picks them up… delivers them… and either returns to charge or starts on a new mission!
The renowned Royal Enfield brand usually conjures thoughts of cafe racer, bullet-style bikes with retro aesthetics. Ditch what you know because the Royal Enfield Pioneer is anything but! Its futuristic styling unapologetically retains NONE of the Enfield’s classic styling… regardless, it’s a fresh look at the evolution of the e-motorcycle. Designed for new riders, its self-balancing system/autonomous riding mode give it a sort of “sixth sense” that helps train newbies and hone experienced rider’s skills.
Designer: Daniel Lars Gunnarsson
– Yanko Design Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design! (Sixth Sense Motorcycle was originally posted on Yanko Design)
Maybe I should have known better, but I sort of expected a discussion board thread entitled “Greatest Wheels” to be a survey of forumites’ favorite automobiles, but—this being an industrial design discussion—it actually refers to the wheels themselves (taking wheels to mean a car is an example of synecdoche, by the way). I’ll be the first to admit that automotive design is far beyond my experience, but I must say that I’m weirdly nostalgic about Saab’s distinctive tri-spokes, since a 900 was my first car. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but those wheels definitely have a special place in my memory… and I imagine that fellow non-gearheads can appreciate wheels as a design element.
But while we’re on the topic of cars, I was interested to learn that new research on shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) suggests, among other things, that just because we won’t own cars, the auto industry may actually benefit from the paradigm shift. The University of Austin team determined that “each SAV in the Austin model replaced about 11 conventional household vehicles,” with the usual host of benefits of on-demand sharing, saving time, money and energy across the entire system.
…vehicle-miles traveled doesn’t go down in the Austin model. In fact, it goes up about 10 percent. That’s because not only are SAVs making all the trips people used to make on their own, but they’re repositioning themselves in between trips to reduce wait times. The additional wear also means manufacturers produce about the same number of cars, too, though each new fleet is no doubt a bit smaller and cleaner than the last.
Where cars might have had a 10–20 year lifespan in the past, shared vehicles will putatively be replaced every 18–24 months or so, which means highly accelerated product development cycles of iterative innovation. Given the fact that “less than 17 percent of U.S. household vehicles are in use at a time,” new models would be adopted upwards of six times as quickly—assuming, of course, that the number of car trips (and the average distance of those trips) remains constant.
For those of us who rely on the MTA to get to our day jobs, this morning is probably the worst of the worst, and commiserating with fellow straphangers on drafty platforms and sputtering trains is (literally) cold comfort as we collectively brave the blizzard that is pummelling the New York City this morning. We all have our commute rituals—reading the paper, listening to music entirely too loud, making small talk with the tourists, dodging bodies for a handhold; the list goes on. Let’s face it, we’re not at our best on public transportation.
Here are a couple of projects that transform that at-times dreaded daily routine into a creative exercise. Who knows, you may even be a part of their work without even knowing it.
Joe Butcher, an illustrator based in the UK, may have the most productive (and creative) 35-minute trip to work out of all of us. For two years, Butcher has been turning the people around him into cartoon characters with Post-It notes and a few markers while sharing his creations via Twitter. From Mickey Mouse to The Incredible Hulk, it seems that anyone with their back to the artist is a potential candidate.
I can imagine that the exaggerated faces of the cartoons aren’t far off from the actual facial expressions of the subjects, which is probably my favorite part of this series. Check out the full collection of drawings here.
A top 10 finalist in the 2014 Michelin Challenge Design, the Twinway is an exploration in vehicle autonomy & a perfect example of how this new tech allows vehicles to become an extension of the users lifestyle while retaining the experience of driving pleasure. In autonomous mode, passengers can talk face-to-face, play games, surf the web, or simply enjoy the scenery from the comfort of the cabin. An amalgamation of safety features including LiDAR ground topology radar & 360 degree object detection lets users rest at ease & enjoy the ride.
Designer: Marko Lukovic
– Yanko Design Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design! (Awesomely Autonomous was originally posted on Yanko Design)
The so-called manure catchers on the backs of horse carriages do little to keep piles and piles of poop from collecting on the streets! For a lot of cities, it’s an epidemic and comes down to find a way to catch the poop… or stop the tours! The Fiaker 2.0 addresses two of the issues: actually catching the manure… and maintain the traditional look for an authentic experience! See how it works —>
– Yanko Design Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design! (The Manure Master was originally posted on Yanko Design)
Whether you like to ride and race, tackle tough terrain, or lean back in leisure, one of Oscar Navarro’s wild concept bikes will suit your style! The collection pulls aesthetic and functional influence from a variety of eras and utilities, but applies each in an entirely modern way. From the blinging dual-sport to the chromed-out cruiser, there’s a riding and aesthetic model for the most unique of tastes.
Designer: Oscar Navarro
– Yanko Design Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design! (Offbeat Bikes was originally posted on Yanko Design)
It’s been too long since we’ve visited Chris Labrooy and his ultra realistic/completely improbable 3D graphics. You may remember his far-fetched work from when we gushed over his typography posters a couple of years ago. At the time, we described his style as “overly perfect”—which is still a perfect description for his work.
Here in NYC, it’s against the law to block bike lanes with your car. Then again it’s also against the law to murder people, and we haven’t quite got a hold on that one either. Ironically, the place I most often see the bike lane law skirted is down by the NYC Supreme Court Building, which has “The True Adminstration of Justice is the Firmest Pillar of Good Government” inscribed in its cornice; the opposite side of the street is a dangerous obstacle course of double-parked vehicles completely blocking the bike lane.
One solution for preventing cars from entering bike lanes is the Armadillo, a design put forth by bicycle infrastructure company Cyclehoop. Made from 100% recycled PVC and covered in reflective stripes, these cat-sized lumps are spaced such that cyclists can enter or exit lanes mid-stream as needed, and are large enough to serve as a deterrent to driving a car over (though emergency services vehicles can of course traverse them in a pinch).
An on-board makeup table, push-button transmissions, a simple knob attached to the steering wheel: These were the outside-of-the-box features that auto designers dreamed up to thrill consumers in the 1950s and ’60s.
Let’s take a closer look at that retractable hardtop on the Fairlane, which Ford reportedly spent a staggering $400 million developing, here sold by Lucille Ball and a disbelieving Ricky Ricardo:
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