This self-driving trike is made for a Robocop sequel and a dystopian future that awaits us all

Electric four-wheelers and bikes are set high on the horizon, but there’s the radical design of an eco-friendly trike that lies somewhere in between. Being more agile than a four-wheeler and far safer than a two-wheeler, electric trike has the right balance to be the commuter of the future.

Go a step further and you have a three-wheeled autonomous trike fit for a radically different world in a decade’s time. Something akin to a sci-fi movie plot set in a dystopian world minus all the shenanigans.

Designer: Roman Dolzhenko and Dmitry Voronezhtsev

The self-driving concept trike christened ECO is a stark view of sophistication level 5 autonomy will bring to the fore. Most of the taxing, and at times, dangerous tasks like police patrolling will be taken up by AI-powered robots and self-driving vehicles to keep everything in the city under check. The applications don’t end there though – ECO will fair equally capably for chores such as delivering food, roboracing around the dizzying race tracks, or simply taking home groceries from the local supermarket.

ECO has a trio of hubless wheels – with the two on the front reinforced with massive suspension systems to take on any bump on the road. The lack of a rider seat reiterates the fact that you cannot take this thing around for a spin in manual mode when desired. Just imagine this thing marching forward along with a herd of Spot the dog robot and an army of Atlas humanoids. That sounds like an upcoming Robocop sequel in the making.

This trike has familiar classic aerodynamic lines contoured perfectly to make the thing look uber cool. It’s clearly tailored for urban life dominated by self-driving electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles and AI robots dotting the city. ECO trike is a far-fetched fully autonomous concept vehicle design that won’t be so impractical after all, a decade down the line!

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This shape-shifting Audi concept prioritizes lounge themed socializing in autonomous mode

https://youtu.be/Gk67CsWkA-8

The paradigm shift in the interior design of concept cars is weighting towards lounge theme – presuming there’ll be reliable Level 5 autonomy in half a decade’s time. We’ve seen a number of concept designs embellished in big brand logos (of course not the official ones of course) having spacious and airy interiors, just like a living room.

Most of these concepts or even existing ones themed around the lounge styling leverage the ambient lighting or at most, movable steering panels and seating. This Audi concept takes things even further with exterior and interior going the shape-shifting way minus all those gimmicks. One thing to take note of here is the interior design-inspired stacked panels made from wooden material for airiness and a sustainable feel.

Designer: Yunsik Kim

The car gets two modes – Private and Social – which define the shape the car takes on the inside and outside. In the Private mode, the steering wheel pops out of the dashboard and the driving seat takes precedence. The front grille section and the rear morph into a more aggressive stance for a sports car-like feel while driving. In the Social mode which is fully autonomous, the driving seat recesses back to where the rear seats are situated. The steering completely vanishes into the dashboard housing and wooden panels from the inside come up and align themselves on the front of the interior to create a socializing seating arrangement.

If you notice, most of the exterior and interior are crafted out of interlinked wooden panels that make the shape-shifting action possible. How this concept car would address inclement weather conditions or unwanted gusts of air while in driving mode is still unanswered. After all, the wooden panels won’t create a secure seal to wade off rain, snow, or dust. In the autonomous mode, everything is exposed to the elements. So, you can use the socializing mode in cozy sunshine or pleasant weather conditions only.

The post This shape-shifting Audi concept prioritizes lounge themed socializing in autonomous mode first appeared on Yanko Design.

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