Tag Archives: city transportation

Halfgrid transport concept to use suspended pods and artificial intelligence

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I live in a place where road traffic congestion has gotten so bad that you have to leave hours early to get to an appointment that is just in the next town or city. I sometimes suspect the government has given up on finding solutions to mobility and so we will eventually have to depend on private companies that will come up with experimental solutions to getting people and goods around the city more easily.

Designer: Half Company

The Bulgaria-based designers for the transport design studio is proposing a city-wide transport system called Halfgrid. It involves individual person-sized capsules moving around the city through suspended cables and powered by artificial intelligence. Basically, you can get a person and whatever goods you want to be transported to your destination on a separate layer above ground in order to not add to the continuous road congestion on the ground.

The system uses static cables and the pods are the ones that will be moving along the tensioned steel ropeways. This also means that each of the capsule units can travel to different destinations unlike with the traditional cable car system where everyone still has to get into a vehicle together. Each pod will be able to hold just one person or a certain-sized package and can be programmed to get to where they need to get to.

Passengers will be able to program everything through the app and choose a pickup point and a destination. Basically, it’s like booking an Uber except you’ll be traveling in a capsule above ground. The same system can be used for goods deliveries. The entire system is also designed to be “practically silent” so it will not add to the noise pollution that usually comes with road congestion.

I’m not that fond of heights so this is something that might not work for someone like me. But it would really be interesting to see how such a system can work in a city like where I live in. Now the next step is to create a prototype and find a partner and a pilot city that would be willing to try the Halfgrid out.

The post Halfgrid transport concept to use suspended pods and artificial intelligence first appeared on Yanko Design.

A new airborne gondola line will connect Paris to its residential suburbs as soon as 2025

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The city of Paris announces an approved proposal for a new aerial gondola line that would transport 11,000 passengers from the city’s suburbs to Paris’s main metro line.

Every city has its woes with public transportation. With its debut in the United States going back as far as 1895, the underground subway system has defined rapid transit for decades. As increasing rates of densification and urbanization morph the face of our cities, our public transportation must accommodate the larger crowds and higher demands.

Designer: Atelier Schall, Doppelmayr France, Île-de-France Mobilités, Spie Batignolles, and Egis Rail.

Moving from the underground to the high heavens, the city of Paris finds promise in an airborne mode of transit. Aimed for completion by 2025, the new transit system is called the Cable A Gondola, an electric-powered gondola line that will connect the suburb of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges with the Créteil Pointe du Lac station on Paris’ Metro line 8.

As cities find new ways to provide sufficient public transportation to larger crowds, the issue of sustainability arises. As gondolas prove to be inexpensive and eco-conscious players in the public transportation game, more and more cities are integrating them into their urban fabric. Following their proposal for a new 4.5km gondola line, the French city will pay $149 million to connect 11,000 passengers to Paris’s metro system and Créteil on a daily basis.

Connecting the hilly residential avenues of Créteil to Paris’s cityscape, gondolas are able to connect hard-to-reach areas that previous modes of transit could not. Since many are electric, gondolas are also quiet by design and do not produce much pollution during operation.

Gondolas also indicate an inexpensive alternative to other urban infrastructures like bridges, railways, and tunnels. Considering the gondola’s many advantages, the new Paris proposal would function primarily as a transportation filler. Parisian suburbs will have a direct line to the city’s metro system in a way that was previously unprecedented.

In a city like Paris, the approval of the gondola proposal signals a new dawn for public transportation. As Brent Toderian, chief city planner of Vancouver from 2006 to 2012, describes, “In recent years, the conversation has moved from gondolas being a kind of novelty to a conversation where they’re being considered as a logical and viable transit technology.”

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Polestar’s autonomous mobility design transforms between two modes for urban driving and the open road!

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Polestar Röna is an autonomous mobility concept that transforms between two modes for urban driving and the open road.

While travel restrictions have put a pause on all of our wanderlust-driven tendencies, the idea of uninhibited traveling has never felt more exciting. Getting closer than ever to a tomorrow where we avoid traffic in flying cars and commute to work in jetpacks, designers have been envisioning travel concepts that redefine our ideas of what the future of mobility might look like.

German designer Yida Li contributed his own travel concept called Polestar Röna, an autonomous automobile that transforms between two modes according to different travel needs.

Li calls Polestar Röna’s first mode “Urban Mode,” which finds the automobile in its upright, slim position to be as compact as possible to swerve through packed city streets. In Urban Mode, Polestar Röna accommodates two travelers, leaving enough room for luggage and plenty of leg space. Li also equipped Polestar Röna with a modular build that allows other automobiles to stack on top of cabins, creating a sort of vertical caterpillar of Polestar Rönas.

In Polestar Röna’s “Adventure Mode,” Li turned the vehicle 90-degrees and gave the automobile less ground clearance to resemble the build of conventional sports cars, encouraging drivers to move fast and freely. In this mode, additional automobiles can connect to Polestar Röna like train carts.

Ideal for open, country roads, Polestar Röna’s adventure mode makes the perfect travel companion for long, cross-country road trips. Li also equipped Polestar Röna drivers with the option of autonomous or manual driving modes, optimizing the sense of freedom even in the future of AI-controlled cars.

Designer: Yida Li

Following multiple ideations, Li settled on Polestar Röna’s final form.

Following a period of sketching, Li developed CAD models of Polestar Röna.

In Adventure Mode, Polestar Röna reveals a small ground clearance reminiscent of a sports car.

In both Urban and Adventure Mode, Polestar Röna leaves enough room for luggage. Its design makes Polestar Röna the future of modular mobility. 

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This transforming electric vehicle goes from a two-wheel e-bike into a self-balancing unicycle!

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Titaa is a dual-purpose, electric vehicle that can transform from a two-wheel e-bike into a self-balancing unicycle.

Unicycles have a reputation for only being used in circuses and carnivals. While unicycle aficionados and hobbyists are surely out there, pedaling away, and without any circus credentials to their name, the one-wheeled bicycle isn’t typically the vehicle of choice for getting around a crowded city.

While riding manual unicycles might be too much of a learning curve for most, self-balancing, electric unicycles sound more like something we could all get behind. Titaa, a unicycle with just those sorts of mechanics, conceptualized by Husky Design is a dual-purpose, modular vehicle that can transform from a bicycle into a self-balancing unicycle.

Getting to know our cities through different modes of transportation brings us to sights and places we previously hadn’t known existed. Titaa is the type of electric bike you’d see zooming down the wooden planks of Santa Monica pier or up the cobblestone avenues of Paris.

In its full form, Titaa is an electric two-wheeler in the shape of a cargo bike. When riding Titaa as a two-wheeler, users sit upright on a curved, elevated seat rest that slopes down toward the bicycle’s set of foot pedals. There, users can rest their feet while the motor charges the e-bike ahead. Built into the rear-wheel component, Titaa runs on a battery-operated system that can be replaced and recharged near the vehicle’s foot pedals.

When users would like to take their shot at riding Titaa as a unicycle, the vehicle’s front-wheel and handlebar system dislodge from the rear-wheel and motor to reveal a motorized one-wheeler. Similar in appearance to single-wheel hoverboards, Titaa differs in that users have an optional seat rest if they choose to sit down while riding. Outfitted with a somatosensory control system, Titaa adapts to your body’s natural movements to remain balanced and respond in real-time to necessary braking.

Designer: Husky Design

When not in use, Titaa’s unicycle form can be handled and carried like a leaf blower or other handheld gardening tools.

Titaa brings a dual-purpose and modular design to city transportation. 

The post This transforming electric vehicle goes from a two-wheel e-bike into a self-balancing unicycle! first appeared on Yanko Design.

This electric scooter folds down to half the size of a conventional kick scooter for easy city transportation!

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Smacircle is a redesign of the electric kick scooter that folds down to half the size of a traditional kick scooter for easy transport and seamless maneuverability.

Getting around crowded cities always feels harder than it should be. Even if you live in a driving city like Los Angeles, finding parking is near impossible and then there’s the walk from your parking space to your destination. In New York City, you always have to add in the time it takes to actually walk to and from the subway station. In walking cities, the sidewalks just get too packed. Introducing a new way of getting around the city, designer Rice Mak conceptualized Smacircle, an electric scooter that folds down to half the size of a traditional scooter so you’ll always have a ride as you make your way through the city.

According to Mak, Smacircle solves the “last kilometer” problem of most crowded cities. While subways cover the majority of urban areas, the distance between each stop is at least one to two kilometers, which means your destination is likely one to two kilometers away from each subway stop. Smacircle is an electric scooter that can fold down to a size you’ll feel comfortable with bringing onto the subway and then once you’re out, you can zoom in the bike lane for your destination.

Featuring an integrated motor in its vertical support bar, Smacircle folds in three places to become one-third of its operating size. Unfolded, Smacircle reaches the same height and width as a conventional kick scooter, but has an advantage over the latter for its compact folded size, dropping down to half the size of a traditional folded kick scooter.

Edging out the conventional scooter further, Smacircle comes with built-in shock absorbers that work to maintain the scooter’s small, but mighty build, enhancing its overall maneuverability. In the center of the scooter’s handlebar, just above the motor, Mak incorporated a digital display panel where users would be able to read the scooter’s battery life, speed, and mileage. Equipping Smacircle with everything a city rider might need for their commute, located on the same display panel, users can access the scooter’s high beams and USB socket.

Designer: Rice Mak

Smacircle comes with a small kickstand to remain in place when at a halt.

Smacircle folds down to half the size of a traditional folded kick scooter.

With a narrow build, Smacircle is easy to carry at your side too.

The digital display gadget reveals all the technical information necessary for a smooth ride.

The scooter’s hinged parts lock into place when unfolded. 

Built with integrated shock absorbers, Smacircle ensures a swift ride.

This autonomous shuttle bus reimagines last-mile commute with informative graphics and a minimal, transparent design

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Modern architecture constantly reimagines what cities might look like in the future, but public transportation still lives in an era of antiquated buses and faulty subway trains. Weaving between smart office buildings and shiny skyscrapers in a packed bus from the ‘90s proves that public transportation could use some reimagining of its own. Designing Campus Shuttle as a mobility concept to connect busy drop-off/pick-up areas, student designers Kilian Wiesmann and Nils Achenbach aimed to rethink public transportation through a transparent and autonomous public bus.

The designers prioritized versatility and accessibility with Campus Shuttle to ensure a smooth ride for everyone. From the outside, wheelchair access is made available via a retractable ramp that bridges the edge of the curb with the shuttle entrance. Curated animations and LED signal lights communicate with other vehicles on the road through autonomous programming. Built from curved glass panels and an aluminum framework, Campus Shuttle is a fully transparent, four-wheeled vehicle.

Getting inside the Campus Shuttle is also as easy as unlocking your smartphone. Using proximity sensors located in the shuttle’s sliding doors, commuters are granted access to the shuttle by scanning their ticket’s barcode or by paying for a ticket through Google or Apple Pay. Retractable seats line the perimeter of Campus Shuttle’s interior space, offering flexibility and creating more space when necessary. Situated in the center of the vehicle, an interactive information hub helps commuters become familiar with the shuttle route and surrounding city.

Campus Shuttle is designed to carry commuters between high-traffic pick-up/drop-off areas throughout major cities, such as airports, campus and office buildings, and public markets. The designers explain,” Our trend research phase has shown a remarkable inefficiency of transport in big cities. Individual traffic takes up a lot of space. In addition, the number of passenger cars in Germany has grown relatively steadily by half a million vehicles annually over the past two decades, from 450 cars per 1,000 inhabitants in 1998 to 560 cars per 1,000 inhabitants in 2018.” Designed to bring public transportation out of the ’50s, Campus Shuttle boasts a futuristic, sleek profile.

In cooperation with Brose Mechatronics, Wiesmann and Achenbach conceptualized Campus Shuttle to be a city staple for the public transportation industry. Designed with five curved glass panels that surround aluminum beams, Campus Shuttle maintains a minimal look. When in motion, Campus Shuttle almost appears to hover above the ground, linking a vision of futuristic public transportation with contemporary architectural landscapes. Personally, I see it as a nightrider in the dark, hovering above the street in sleek lighting. Campus Shuttle’s low-rise build makes it appear to hover above the ground when in motion.

Campus Shuttle was built to be versatile and accessible, so the designers implemented the most cutting-edge smart technology into the shuttle’s autonomous design. Pre-programmed signal lights and wheelchair access ramps add Campus Shuttle’s overall safety factor. These design elements specifically focus on the local users, “The university consists of several remote buildings that can be challenging to reach by foot, especially for students and staff with disabilities. This is exactly the challenge we took on with our concept vehicle: Linking extensive areas like universities, company facilities, airports, and trade fairs.”

With a traditional interior bus design, Campus Shuttle is familiar enough for commuters to intuitively understand and the modernization of the design makes it more accessible, giving a win-win situation that is sure to be appreciated by all users!

Designers: Kilian Wiesmann & Nils Achenbach

This bicycle’s loop frame was designed to be easily dismantled, making it a lighter, smoother ride!

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Many people who live in cities rely on bikes as their main means of transportation. City bikes are designed to be intuitive for smooth, easy rides. When coasting between traffic and stoplights, a city bike ride should feel lightweight and nimble. Through a unique approach in designing his city bike, Gaëtan Francq created Loop, a compact city bike whose parts were developed around the bike’s looped frame to deliver a fully-contained, sleek ride.

As eye-catching as Loop’s frame might be, the city bike from Gaëtan Francq Studio comes through with a lot more perks. Starting out with Loop’s handlebar, which comes packed with Bluetooth connectivity, the city bike’s simplified GPS is contained here to ensure riders won’t lose their way in new cities or on unfamiliar roads. Just below Loop’s handlebar, a storage compartment fills out the bike’s looped saddle tube, allowing riders to bring items like bottles of water or even wine along with them for the ride. With Loop, there are no more excuses for showing up empty-handed to the party.

Designed for the concrete jungle, the designers behind Loop equipped the bike with a powerful brake system called Wilwood, which can easily be replaced and worked for maintenance since Loop was also designed to be readily dismantled whenever necessary. Along with some of the best brakes in the game, Loop’s 26-inch wheels prop riders up to a familiar height for a relaxed ride. Lightweight and easy to handle, each one of Loop’s components is constructed from aluminum alloys in order to optimize the light feel of the city bike.

Loop comes with all the goods you might need for an easy city ride– GPS, speed and temperature updates, a storage compartment, and an ultralight frame. The unique looped structure of the city bike’s frame was designed to turn heads as you pass them by on the street, but also to simplify the whole body of the bike, making for an elemental city bike that looks polished, versatile, and uncomplicated.

Designer: Gaëtan Francq Studio

Loop’s handlebar contains all the information you might need for a long ride through the streets of the city.

Through different ideations, Gaëtan Francq Studio ultimately created a bike centered around its loop frame.

Loop’s aluminum alloy frame went through thermal hardening to limit its elasticity.

26-inch wheels allow riders to enjoy a familiar seated height.

Loop’s digital handlebar display signals riders of the outside temperature and time, along with the bike’s speed mileage.

Slim handlebars enhance the city bike’s overall sleek look.

Easy to disassemble for maintenance, the city bike’s design was developed around its main aluminum loop frame.

Loop comes equipped with a Wilwood brakes system for quick brake-response time.

Minimal chains and an airy design give Loop a cool, clean finish.

The bike’s main storage compartment is located just below the seat.

Through a process of thermal hardening for aluminum frames and steam curving for wood frames, the Loop structure maintains a durable combination of rigidity and flexibility.

This Porsche clover green e-scooter is the retro style statement you need to end 2020 with a bang!

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One of the earliest motor scooters was designed in 1915. The finished scooter was mounted on top of two ten-inch tires and operated from the handlebars, offering speeds up to 20 mph with 125 miles to a full tank. Back then, the design was ahead of its time, but it wasn’t too popular amongst consumers. The only people interested in motor scooters seemed to have been city dwellers. With city living being the preference for most young people today, it’s no wonder motorized scooters are increasing in popularity. Mjotim, from Yifeeling Design Lab, was produced in order to meet today’s technological standards while paying tribute to the earliest forms of motorized scooters.

Adhering to the typical structure of the scooter, Mjotim was designed to be ridden standing up, with the vehicle’s motor encased inside and gear information outside of the steering column, along with two handlebars, which are primarily used for steering. A screen on top of the right handlebar informs the rider of their speed on a gauge and a brake lever adjusts the rider’s speed on the left handlebar. In the center of the steering column, a tachometer indicates to users the wheel’s rotation speed, along with different knobs that comprise the scooter’s power control interface: a power pushbutton, a lock button, and an accelerator. Below the tachometer and power control knobs, a small compartment fans out if the rider is ever in need of storage space. Mjotim has one headlight that outwardly faces oncoming traffic for late-night rides to the grocery store or commutes back home after the workday. Atop the scooter’s rear wheel, a backlight shines from behind so that cars and pedestrians see you no matter how late the ride.

Mjotim does its expected job of getting riders from Point A to Point B and it looks good while doing it. With burnt natural leather accenting emblematic retro color schemes. Mjotim is practically a rendered time traveler from 1967, and maybe that’s what we need – a dose of everything old and good in our life to wrap up 2020 feeling good about the oncoming year. Taking inspiration from the Royal typewriter, a clover green Porsche and gleaming Schwinn bicycles, the designers behind Mjotim aimed to provide young professionals and city dwellers with a mode of transportation that not only safely carries riders to their destination but brings them there in vintage style.

Designers: Tim Danilaer Fasikola, Yang Lei x Yifeeling Design

This hubless e-bike for urban environment rides just as smooth as it looks!

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Living in a big city without a car sometimes means compromise. A trip to the grocery store might take a measly five minutes by car, but it’s another story on foot. That’s why electric bikes have risen in popularity amongst city dwellers. Practically at each intersection, whether you’re in Los Angeles or Paris, rows of charged-up city bikes wait patiently to hit the streets. It’s always tempting to unlock one, with the sun beating down as the walk to the grocery reaches almost an hour. It’s no wonder, Victor Tabares, a designer based in bustling Barcelona, felt inspired to design and produce OOH BIKE.

Since this e-bike retains its pedaling capabilities, most of the standout features from OOH BIKE are integrated into the bicycle itself. Just within the cyclist’s periphery vision, the battery levels are displayed along the top of the bicycle’s frame. Lit-up, neon lights signify the bicycle’s battery levels by the quarter. The front wheel on the OOH BIKE is entirely hubless, producing a metropolitan finished look that gives an otherwise integrated and functional bike some style. Additionally, the spokeless front helps rotate the wheel quickly and with little effort. While centerless wheels are primarily, it seems, an aesthetic decision, they do work well in city environments.

Centerless wheels promote torque, quickening the brake’s response time, so you can stealthily slink your way through your city’s traffic lights and cross-sections. Between the handlebars, a mini screen from Brose Drive, an automotive supplier that develops sensor systems for electric bikes, displays menu options, speed, and other digital information that’s easily accessible during any ride. Whether you’re on the cobblestoned avenues of London or riding along the earthquake-ridden pavement of San Francisco, OOH BIKE’s adjustable seat and integrated cable system make it the ideal, sleek bike for any city dweller.

Designer: Victor Tabares

Mercedes-Benz’ new electric scooter has a mileage of over 3100 miles – hello zero emissions!

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As we continue to move towards a cleaner and sustainable future, automakers around the world are doing their best to switch over to electric vehicles. Mercedes-Benz has spent the past couple of years developing electric mobility concepts and it has finally unveiled its own fully-electric scooter which accelerates our zero-emissions journey – at least for short distances and especially for city dwellers. Longevity is at the core of this e-scooter, it uses high-quality components and materials to give the user a mileage of over 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) which allows for more freedom when it comes to micro-mobility solutions.

Mercedes-Benz has launched this EV in collaboration with a Swiss scooter specialist, Micro, to make this e-scooter sleek, strong, and efficient. It features an electric motor with a maximum 500 W power which allows the scooter to accelerate to a speed 20 km/h (permitted in Germany) while the 7.8 Ah battery gives a range of up to 25 kilometers. This lets users travel with speed, comfort, and security. The kickboard is wide enough to have plenty of room for both feel and has a non-slip coating for more stability. The e-scooter has front + rear suspension and comes with 20 cm diameter rubber wheels that effortlessly handle uneven surfaces like cobblestones making it ideal for short urban commutes.

The electric scooter also features a retractable steering column that is adjustable to the rider’s height making it a popular option in the market. The handlebars are ergonomically designed with the accelerator on the right and brake on the left as well as an integrated bell. It has a rear drum brake and a foot brake on the protective plate for added riding security. The compact scooter also includes front and rear lights along with the side reflectors so the user can ride it in traffic at any time of the day. There is a display in the center that shows the speed, battery level, and riding mode – this is also all synced to the user’s mobile app for the electric scooter.

The best part is that you can fold the Mercedes-Benz e-scooter using a simple mechanism operated with just a press of the foot. To make it more streamlined and easy to carry, the handlebars also fold down. The e-scooter weighs around 29 lbs (13.5 kg) making it portable and convenient. Let’s kickstart our zero-emissions journey with a touch of a luxury automaker!

Designer: Mercedes-Benz