Tag Archives: pod

This self-driving pod can be used to transport either humans or carry cargo

Posted on by

Chosen as the winner of a competition hosted by autonomous network transit (ANT) company Dromos, this self-driving pod designed by PriestmanGoode is capable of safely carrying humans as well as acting as a logistical truck to deliver consignments. Envisioned to cater to the demands of the 21st century, the pod needed to be safe, reliable, and affordable, focusing on modularity, sustainability, and flexibility of use.

The pod boasts of a minimalist design with a skateboard-style electric platform on top of which rests the pod’s body. With a schematic that closely resembles MUJI x Sensible 4’s Gacha bus, the pod is built to comfortably seat two people spaced apart, or store cargo, based on its use. “This type of mass transit has become even more relevant now. Not only does it answer the first and last mile problem, which is one of the key issues we’re always trying to solve in public transport, but it’s also particularly suitable for a post-pandemic world where passengers are more concerned about hygiene and safety”, says Paul Priestman, Designer and Chairman of PriestmanGoode.

Wide doors provide ideal access for humans as well as for storing baggage/consignments, while an open skylight helps illuminate the inside of the vehicle during the day. An interactive screen on the opposite side of the access door provides relevant ride-related information. The pod operates on an on-demand system, and can be booked using an app. Its autonomous infrastructure ensures it can function 24/7, while the electric powertrain helps bring down overall transportation costs. Moreover, the pods build on Dromos’ autonomous network transit system, with nearby stops within up to 100m of any location, and direct entry into buildings for effectively and safely delivering freight, or transporting humans from A to B.

Designer: PriestmanGoode

Need ‘space’? You can now live in this lunar lander tiny house!

Posted on by

Do you want to absolutely leave this planet right now? Me too. Since we can’t really become qualified astronauts and get on a mission to get some ‘space’ from 2020, I found the next best thing – an off-the-grid stay in a lunar lander! Boat architect, Kurt Hughes, has designed a tiny home in Central Washington modeled after the lunar lander module and it is truly as close as us civilians can get to having a literal out-of-this-world stay.

Hughes handcrafted this tiny home to combine his love for houses and boats, and while we have seen many tiny homes having one that looks like a spaceship capsule is exciting! Why the lunar lander? Because it was a home and a ship. Obviously it is not as technically complex as a real NASA lunar lander, so living won’t require any special training and it will certainly be more comfortable. Unlike the real Apollo 11 module, this Lunar Lander is very spacious on the inside. The 250 square feet hexagonal pod weighs 3000 pounds and sits on the banks of Columbia river so you have a lot of open ‘space’. There is a small deck for the inhabitants to enjoy the view and Hughes tried to make sure the pod has a minimum impact on the environment around it.

The home has an open floor plan and two floors with a living area and a bedroom zone. Now you won’t have a crazy view of the cosmic world, but there is a beautiful geodesic skylight to give you a view of the night sky and allow plenty of natural light in. A staircase leads downstairs to the isolated cryogenic sleep chamber (also known as a bedroom by non-astronaut folks!). The lunar module home is complete with a functioning kitchen and bathroom. There is also a cozy coffee table nook which can be used for remote work as well as for intimate meals. To make it authentic, the house number is written in a font called American Captain Patrius that is the same one found on the original Apollo vessels.

The space nerd in my can’t help but countdown already…3…2…1…solid rocket booster ignition and liftoff!

Designer: Kurt Hughes

This tiny pod-shaped device is the world’s smallest reusable water purifier

Posted on by

Simply drop the GoPure pod into any bottle of tap water and it instantly begins purifying and remineralizing it, effectively saving you big bucks by not having to buy mineral water bottles each time… while obviously giving you access to pure, potable water.

Designed as a ridiculously tiny, reusable device, the GoPure pod comes with a plastic housing on the outside and a porous ceramic core on the inside. Through physical movement, convection currents, and Brownian motion, the water remains in continuous contact with the core, which in turn acts as a magnet to attract impurities. This process effectively eliminates common contaminants in tap water like lead, chromium, arsenic, copper, mercury, chlorine, fluoride, and E.coli, while continuously neutralizing bad taste and odor, and balancing the pH to an ideal 7.4. The tiny, portable nature of the GoPure makes it perfect to take with you wherever you go. You can use it in conjunction with the drinking water in your own home, or carry it with you in your backpack to use with tap water you’d find anywhere. The GoPure pod’s small size lets it easily fit into wide-neck bottles, allowing you to instantly begin purifying your water while it’s inside the bottle… giving you healthy, fresh, clean, good-tasting mineralized water while also eliminating the need to buy plastic bottles of mineral water that eventually end up in landfills.

Designer: PuriBloc

Click Here to Buy Now

Click Here to Buy Now

This air sealed work pod was designed to let employees return to office post quarantine

Posted on by

We all have a new work-from-home routine that everyone has had to adapt to overnight. Now some companies can afford to let employees continue working from home till a vaccine is made but there are many others who are open and functioning with bare minimum staff because their work is not digital. Just like working from home brought to light issues we didn’t have, working in the office during or after pandemic will have its own set of new issues and that is what designers are aiming to solve with concepts with Qworkntine.

The non-essential companies have to open up at some point to keep the economy (and our income) running. Qworkntine is an air-tight pod system that wants to make working in offices safe while we figure out long-term solutions. It protects the employees and can make it easy to monitor how many employees are in per square meter of the space – it also makes contact tracing convenient in larger offices. Its hexagonal shape lets companies arrange it in any format to suit their physical office – it is like assembling a beehive to keep all the bees healthy and happy! It can be customized to fit right-angled corners and can be elongated as per the needs.

This conceptual work pod features an automatic handle-free acrylic door that is controlled by facial recognition. It also includes ventilation fans and air purifiers to keep a continuous flow of air that is safe to breathe. The designer envisions the Qworkntine pod to be made from hygienic, non-porous materials that will be easy to clean and disinfect. The skylight makes it better for those who may not enjoy tight spaces. Winner of the DNA Paris Design Awards in the Responsible Design category, this design highlights that for the sake of our health (and wealth), we may have to adapt to new work environments. Instead of cubicles, we might have pods and that is basically the same size as having an apartment in Manhattan – say hi to the new home of ‘work-from-home’!

Designer: Moahmed Radwan

Tesla’s interchangeable travel-pod system shows modularity in transportation

Posted on by

tesla_pod_1

If any company had to build something as outlandish as a pod system with a fixed electric powertrain platform and an interchangeable upper pod based on use, it would probably be Tesla (or maybe we could count this Mercedes Benz concept too). Designed as a part of his thesis project, Fábio Martins’ conceptual Tesla Pod system is pretty intriguing, and especially makes sense, given that Musk is launching the Boring Tunnel project that will only work with a handful of cars that are compatible with the underground travel system. The idea for the Pod is simple. The electric powertrain base is common to all modes of transport, while the upper part alternates between three different pods that serve three different purposes… one for public transport, one for private transport, and one for commercial transport. The platforms and pods/modules are produced independently, and a large robotic arm helps in mounting and unmounting the modules from the platform base. Scroll below to read more about the platform design and the pods/modules themselves.

Designer: Fábio Martins

tesla_pod_2

tesla_pod_24

PLATFORM

The Platform forms the base to all the different pods. It comes with an electric drivetrain, headlights and taillights, and everything required to allow the pods to operate autonomously. The Platform is equipped with LIDAR, RADAR, Ultrasonic and Optical Sensors in order to achieve level 5 autonomous driving, to which are attached different modules, developed to fulfill different tasks related to the transport of people and goods through urban environments. The platform is symmetric, this means the symmetry of components that considerably reduces the cost of production of each platform, allowing the integration of autonomous systems in the vehicle while maintaining a low price to the consumer. This also allows for the platform to have 4 wheel steering and be able to move forward or backward.

tesla_pod_3

tesla_pod_4

tesla_pod_5

tesla_pod_6

tesla_pod_7

PUBLIC POD

The Public Module here presented has room for 12 people, 6 standing and 6 seated. It has the same sliding pantograph door opening mechanism as the following modules in order to reduce the production cost of complex parts. The pod is composed of a Carbon Fiber Composite body, with polycarbonate door panels covered with microperforated vinyl to create an integrated and modern look along with the platform, while providing exterior visibility for the occupants. The module also has front, back and side screen to inform pedestrians and users about its imminent actions and destination.

tesla_pod_8

tesla_pod_9

COMMERCIAL POD

The commercial pod transports cargo the way the public pod transports humans. Built with 141.2 cubic feet of space, the commercial pod can store a large amount of cargo and the autonomous vehicle can transport said cargo from point A to point B. The lack of the driver gives the interior of the commercial pod more space to store cargo, and a special Tesla forklift helps load and unload the pods.

tesla_pod_10

tesla_pod_11

tesla_pod_12

tesla_pod_13

PRIVATE POD

The Private Module below has 4 rotating seats that allow for various interior setups, ranging from the traditional 2×2 seating to seats that face each other like a recreational room. The module is composed of a Carbon Fiber Composite body, with electrochromic windows that lighten and darken to provide passengers with the option of a view or privacy. It also has Sliding Pantograph doors, allowing for minimum amplitude of motion, optimal for close urban spaces.

Designed to be used in a car-hailing setup, the Private Pod works to transport humans, but in a much more private setup. The module can be used by office-goers as a traveling conference room, or even by individuals and families. The rotating chairs allow you to sit either conventionally or facing each other, and entertainment systems make for a much more enjoyable ride.

tesla_pod_14

tesla_pod_15

tesla_pod_16

tesla_pod_17

tesla_pod_18

tesla_pod_19

tesla_pod_20

tesla_pod_21

tesla_pod_22

tesla_pod_23

Self-driving cars won’t just change transport. They’ll change hotels too.

Posted on by

This is the Autonomous Travel Suite by Aprilli. It’s, in theory, a self-driving car, but Aprilli doesn’t refer to it as a car. Aprilli calls it a hotel on wheels, and while that sounds like marketing-team-hogwash, it actually isn’t. Aprilli are touching on the fact that self-driving cars won’t just make transportation easier. They’re going to shake the hotel industry.

AirBnb has done enough to really disrupt the massive hotel, resort, and corporate suite business, but self-driving cars like the Autonomous Travel Suite are here to pretty much drive the nail into the coffin. For the longest time, hotels have been valued based on two things. Their services, and their location. A well-located hotel, or a well-located room in a hotel often cost more because of the value attached to it. Maybe the hotel was near your workplace, seminar hall, concert auditorium, wedding venue, the beach, etc. With Aprilli’s Autonomous Travel Suite, it doesn’t need to be. I’ve often said that an autonomous car is less of a car and more of an interior space on wheels, and that’s what the Autonomous Travel Suite is set to do… Be your hotel on wheels.

This should worry the hotel industry simply because location isn’t an important factor anymore. Your hotel room is now a moving space that makes everything accessible. By combining travel and hospitality into one single unit now, you don’t need to stay at a hotel and then travel to work. Staying and commuting are now both one and the same thing… like a modern caravan. The Autonomous Travel Suite comes with a bed, a work area, a lounging area, and even bathroom amenities, all housed within a moving cabin that you can program via a tablet. The hotel also comes with an ever-changing view, thanks to its glass exterior (which can also turn opaque to give you complete privacy). Aprilli takes the concept a step forward by also introducing the Autonomous Hotel Chain, a charging dock for your travel suite pod that also gives you the amenities you’d expect at any hotel. The self-driving cars dock automatically in their designated spaces that open into your own personal bedrooms, giving you the comfort of a traditional hotel room while your car charges. Hotels are even built with facilities like pools, spas, and restaurants, completing the overall hotel experience and giving you something Aprilli calls Transpitality, a portmanteau of Transportation and Hospitality. Now that’s definitely the work of a Marketing-Team.

While the Autonomous Travel Suite is still a concept, it’s indicative of a shift that we’re bound to see in the next 5 years, where you could practically stay at a hotel that’s a 3-hour commute from the city, yet the exhaustion of travel never gets to you because your hotel room takes you wherever you want to go!

Designer: Aprilli

autonomous_travel_suite_1

autonomous_travel_suite_2

autonomous_travel_suite_3

autonomous_travel_suite_4

autonomous_travel_suite_5

autonomous_travel_suite_6

autonomous_travel_suite_7

autonomous_travel_suite_8

A perfect pod for your 2-wheeled hot rod

Posted on by

BikeBox24’s pod for two-wheelers seems like the most perfect solution for private as well as public use. Garages almost always cater to cars, with that small sliver of space beside the car being reserved for the motorbike, quite like an afterthought. Or even in public, where bikes are left vulnerable to vandals, thieves, and the weather.

Made from galvanized steel and weather-proof plastic, the BikeBox24 is a secure storage pod for your two-wheeler, with enough space to even fit a quad bike. Its unique, chiseled design doesn’t just give it an aggressive appeal to complement your ride, but also gives the plastic construction strength, preventing it from bending or flexing and damaging the bike inside. The pod comes with a hydraulic system that makes opening and closing it easy, as a hinge on the top allows the pod door to open vertically, giving the owner enough space to walk in and out. The pod even comes built with a tough multiplex metal floor, encasing your motorbike from all sides in a secure cover, and a mount to secure your motorbike in place to prevent it from collapsing within the pod. With a secure lock to protect your bike from miscreants, and a ventilation system built to divert and drain any water, the BikeBox24 gives you security as well as weatherproofing, all in a small, conveniently designed, compact pod that can be used both indoors or outdoors!

Designer: BikeBox24

bikebox24_1

bikebox24_2

bikebox24_3

bikebox24_4

bikebox24_5

bikebox24_6

bikebox24_7

bikebox24_8

bikebox24_9