Tag Archives: urban mobility

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. 

The post Polestar’s autonomous mobility design transforms between two modes for urban driving and the open road! first appeared on Yanko Design.

This skateboard’s modular form is designed to address the problem of our aging population

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A kick-scooter like personal commuter designed for future cities in 2040 where flexible modes of mobility will be cherished by the users. Stria fulfills that gap with intuitive design ideation keeping in mind the elderly population too.

Urban mobility is one thing all the sharp minds are trying to streamline and make easier for the end-user as well as bystanders. Hence comes into the picture this mindfully designed e-mobility solution by Hong Kong-based product and industrial designer, Cathy Wong. It is more than just another personal mobility solution aimed at crowded cities. Sometimes such designs make me wonder how different the future will be in a decade or two.

The concept design dubbed Stria is an electric mobility (EMD) vehicle that looks much like a skateboard. The design itself is a two-part system for shared mobility, bringing the personal commuter right to your doorstep, and when you’re done it can be returned back. The first is the actual mobility device which is modular in a way to address different mobility needs. There are four modes to choose from – Sport, Commute, Support, and Companion.

The Sport mode is for active individuals who want to leverage maximum speed and control while riding on the streets courtesy of the lean-to-control configuration. The second is the commute mode targeted for casual riders who want to get to the supermarket in the least time possible without much fuzz, thanks to a grab bar for increased riding stability. The Support mode is for elderly people as it has thigh-leaning support so that the elderly rider or disabled person doesn’t experience body fatigue. In fact, this mode is the reason for the idea to have propped up as Cathy wanted to design a personal mobility solution for the aging population of Hong Kong. The Companion mode acts as a prop while walking and stowing for safe storage indoors.

The designer envisions Stria to be powered by a double brushless motor – the first motor activates while riding and the second one sets into action for smaller movements. The second part of the concept is the movable shuttle-like charging station (smaller than your hatchback car) where all the EDM’s are stored and disinfected for the next commute. The shuttle drives around the block and suffices the need of customers as and when demanded via the compatible app. Cathy thinks of a future where designated wireless charging lanes would be built around the city to keep the personal commuter juiced up for long rides.

Designer: Cathy Wong

The post This skateboard’s modular form is designed to address the problem of our aging population first appeared on Yanko Design.

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 smart bicycle parking pod holds 10 bikes to transform New York’s streetscape!

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The number of four-wheelers in New York City is increasing, and so are the bicycles. While the former have thousands of options in and around the city to park, the latter options are limited. People in New York want to make the shift (and are already doing that) to using bicycles, but the lack of parking spaces compared to cars is a bit of a headache. According to Oonee Founder Shabazz Stuart, if only 5 percent of these curbside parking spots designated for car parking are used for bike parking, the seismic shift in the sustainable transport mode will be significant.

Hence came into existence the Onnee Minibike pod driven by the need to have a safe parking spot for bicycles. Measuring the size of an average sedan, Mini promises 10 high-quality secure bike parking spaces to get rid of any parking woes and bike theft. That means for every one car parking space used for the Mini pod, ten bicycles are sorted for hassle-free parking. On the inside, there is an air pump and the ambiance of the space is also top-notch. On the top, there is a planter box, ideal for keeping in tune with nature and create a welcoming environment for cyclists who are looking to store their bikes safely when need be. Access to the bike pod will be via the smartphone app or the keycard – eliminating any chances of bike theft that has been on the rise ever since the pandemic. Oonee is going all out with its strategy to change the urban streetscapes of New York City and other parts of the globe with lucrative insurance coverage for the bikes.

Aesthetics and matching the architecture of the location where the pod will be installed is essential, so Oonee Mini pod comes with customizable accent cladding and colors for a mix of unique settings and streetscapes. Combine that with accent lighting for warm lighting and scratch-resistant powder coat paint to protect the elements. To make the pod visible even during the darkest hours of the day, a glossy finish is applied to the pod. Things are getting exciting courtesy of the VOI sponsorship, Oonee Mini will bring two pods to the streets of New York this Spring.

Stuart’s vision coincides with that long-term micromobility, as he rightly put it in words, “People can spend billions and billions of dollars on bikes and bike share, but until we get serious about infrastructure, we’re just a community of people who ride bikes for fun. We need to start thinking about bikes and scooters and micromobility as transit, as a legitimate piece of transportation.”

Designer: Oonee

 

Jaguar Land Rover unveils autonomous EV concept for urban transit

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As part of Jaguar Land Rover's mission to achieve zero emissions, the company has unveiled a new concept vehicle, Project Vector. The electric vehicle is designed to provide autonomous rides in urban environments, and it could hit the streets in a pi...

Sponsored: Discover Toyota’s i-Road, Part of An Exciting Green Solution To An Urban Mobility Problem

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i-road

The following article is sponsored by Toyota. – Ed.

As the technology matures, we’re starting to see more and more electric vehicles on our motorways. What started out as a slow, somewhat boring type of locomotion is becoming increasingly interesting, and Toyota’s i-Road may be the most intriguing vehicle we’ve come across in a while.

The i-Road is a zero-emissions three-wheeled electric vehicle, with a 50km (31miles) range, which features Active Lean technology. This means the two front wheels are able to go up or down automatically to make the vehicle lean into corners, giving the riders a sensation similar to that of skiing. Another way to look at it is that it’s a bit of a cross between a motorcycle and a car. Except unlike in a motorcycle, it’s the i-Road that determines the best lean angle based on your speed and how tightly you’re turning, automatically actuating the front wheels. It also features a comfortable cabin that shelters you from the elements and lets you listen to music.

Measuring just 870 millimeters wide, the i-Road is able to ride on the side of the lane, leaving space for other cars to pass. This gives it true urban mobility, with enhanced maneuverability in crowded city environments. It’s so small, it only needs a quarter to half of a regular parking space.

This EV is currently being tested in the city of Grenoble, France, as part of a ride sharing effort called Cité Lib by Ha:mo. Toyota provided 35 i-Road’s for this test, and there are charging stations throughout the city, which allow people to rent the vehicle for a short trip and to drop it off at a station near their destination. The idea is to solve the “last-mile problem”, by which a large portion of the population doesn’t reside within easy walking distance to their nearest point of access to public transportation. By installing charging stations in these areas, Grenoble residents are able to use the application to view availability of EVs, book the vehicles and have easier (and greener) access to the city’s entire public transportation infrastructure.

If you wish to find out more about the project, follow the link below.

[ The Project’s Web Page ]