Core77

Great stuff. I feel like I've been saying the same thing for a while now. Why do we have cars that go 140mph when we are NEVER in an area where the speed limit is above 70mph? Are they trying to get us in trouble? Are the car companies and traffic cops in bed together? Also, why not rubberized matte finish vehicles? Are we so weak to the powers of shiny objects that we're willing to take our vehicles in for service every time a minor ding or dent occurs, just to keep the surface flawless? It is kind of absurd, thinking of the imperfect world we live in, trying to keep the surface of a machine immaculate. I guess unrealistic is more appropriate. Our vehicles travel 80mph in all weather conditions literally inches from the next machine going 80mph, and we are expected to not ever make a mistake. Unrealistic.
Nice concept, M&M...hopefully people wake up and realize that the traditional iconography of cars is both outmoded and archaic....and in dire need of some real design THINKING...not drawing.

Interesting article, and hopefully indeed an inevitable future. However, this doesn't really seem that new to me. Think of 'car on a stich' by Ross Lovegrove.

I do however really like the approach you took.
A question i have is, are these cars personal, or shared? Is it your own car that picks you up or is it just one of many ANTMBL's?

Beautiful concept, Great design...Fresh and Unique,
Good Luck,
Moti Barzilay

Love to see your design process in one post... good thinking. Beautiful illustrations too. Seems a bit focused on rich buyers though... at least from the illustrations.

How about a few variations to show how the concept could serve humanity on a wider scale, for example:

- low-cost
- developing nation
- smaller
- convertible
- optionally rail mounted
- off road (remote location access)
- work truck

I also don't see any safety equipment (although I assume active restraints like air bags would be there) nothing beats a seat belt.

You might look into peer to peer vehicle networking too for assisted navigation. Interesting ideas emerging there.

Very nice work. Automation also has its emotional price, though. The traditional car may be outdated in huge metropolitan areas, but an equally large portion of the population lives in more open environments. I don't think people are willing to trade this freedom, even if it means increased efficiency. I'm frankly amazed at how few accidents happen, given the number of unique individuals driving cars that all interact with each other - it's a miracle, really.

Definitely great work and process!
Thanks for sharing!

It fact this doesn't need to be a car that one OWNS, you could share it or even rent it as a taxi on demand. In a way it could blur the boundaries between public and private transport.

Similar thoughts have been around for a while (i.e. Shaun Hutchinson at RCA, 2001), and automation is almost becoming an obvious way to evolve the urban mobility, but it is incredible that the car industry still doesn't wake up... I wonder when.

Posted by not a car designer

I like how even as professional working adults, designers can still present the "magic box" as their OWN innovative design idea.

Just to clarify, the magic box is a basically formless concept ( in this case lacking aerodynamics for example ), stuffed with all the latest technology, and top it off with a completely new infrastructure system while dictating a new social behavior (people don't want to drive).

In reality these are "systems" that grow naturally in a collective of users, companies, and technologies ( for example
Mobile Phone+Facebook+You Tube+Iranian protesters )

I don't see the harm in posting these ideas when there is an abundance of free time, but I don't see the need for attacking the professionals in the auto design industry.

What about racing cars? And people who love speed? Are we going to race those things?

Nice concept, but the idea behind it is too audacious for the near future.
A massive cultural revolution will be needed in order to radically change the way we think about the automobiles.
But i like very much your human approach to the idea.
My humble technical opinion:
Your ATNMBL seems too big for the narrow heavy-traffic streets (it'll have to cohabit with today's cars for quite a lot).
Maybe i could want to be driven alone to my work, so much space would be a waste.
A modular vehicle that you could add-take off depending on your needs would be more flexible.
The ATNMBL could also be a "part" of the house which detaches and stands alone driving away..

You know that would be so cool if we had those today. I'm 39 years old and I still don't know how to drive. I have ADHD so obviously I'm afraid to drive lol. I'm just afraid that with my ADD I might be spaced out and paying attention to the little dot on my windshield to be paying attention to the big dot that I'm about to crash into.

I think that if this wouldn't be out until 2040 then I guess maybe I will be able to enjoy it in my next life lol. If I am still alive at age 70 when this comes out then it will be the last thing that makes me happy until I die lol.

Here it seems that the proposed product autonomobile is just based on the negative conclusions of what we don�t desire from today�s cars rather than being based on what we actually need and don�t discard the inherent positives that come with the existing system. There has been very little or no Research done into the sociology associated with the proposed design and very weak integration at the system level.

People buy products not just according to their basic need but also according to their emotional needs. And the level of emotional needs differ from person to person, from one society, nation to another. So the assumption here that people don�t want to drive, or the assertion that people should not drive might only be valid for some people and by no means if all the people involved in the research here think that ways, it would be valid
for everybody else as well. It depends on the context, like so many people in cities like Tokyo prefer public transport.

Sociology around a Product is very critical and we have to aware of the impact of products on our society which makes us mere passive recipients. Like watching TV (passive) over active dialogue over the Internet (active). The proposed Autonombile seems to me one another such passive product and below are some points why? :
� Driving a car is an act which requires our participation and hence it is active and also provides a sense of achievement when we complete the task.

� Whereas, sitting in a glass box which is just an another extension of living room (whether we actually need this extension, I am not sure) and watching some TV or drinking wine seems like feeding the vices like laziness, self indulgence etc making us even more passive than what we are today.

� And if I want to enjoy a scene, I wouldn�t want to be so superficial and appreciate it from inside a glass box�.I would rather get rid of this separation. That is the reason why people drive open roadsters because this direct contact with wind makes you more close to then surrounding around than in a closed car, it give this sense of connectivity.

� So, its not such a basic question of getting from point A to B, only which is taken into account here�.It is the way you go there is more important and how it makes you feel�.In open environment on holidays this act of driving is relaxing and beautiful but in the City the same act becomes stressful. So it is perhaps more about the way our cities and our lifestyle is than only this act of driving.

And the way it is mentioned here, about the car being Asymmetrical from every view, It seems the designers have a heavy assumption that highly asymmetrical things are better than the symmetrical things.

Talking about styling and fantasy�.the vision of living room like interior here is infected with no less desire of styling and fantasy�.everbody wants to have a nicely designed and styled living room�then why not cars ?� Why do we spend so much time in preparing and serving Food, which tastes, looks, smells, good....why not then just cook all the ingredients separately and eat them one after the other ..after all we are going to get the same amount of energy from it, perhaps even more�.but we still care� It our emotions that makes us humans, but at the same time if we stay sensitive enough and are aware of impact of our actions then we will be in better harmony than today.

Why cars need to be sculptural?
�.as in the case here as well the car will go and park itself and stay stationary for good amounts of time. And why would anybody want to have millions of lifeless and dumb boxes around, that don�t evoke any emotions in us. Compare an old hand written letter on paper to todays e-mail and you would see how that piece of paper has so much emotion and life in it.

Talking about accidents, to avoid that we don�t need to take all the control from the driver and put it in the hands of machine�.for, if something will go wrong (after all we have viruses in the digital world) you�ll never know what to do in order to stop the mishap, Because the smart machine has made us Dumb and Dependent �.Today we have enough technology that we can employ in the cars that no matter how hard we try we cannot crash into another car or a human�.we can have sensors and smart feedback systems which would take car of any such hazardous situations and would take control from our hands and prevent the accident.

Having said all that, I think we need to be aware and define a proper context around a product and not just get carried away by our assumptions and bias either for or against the existing system�.but observe it more closely and try to work sincerely and honestly and not in a hurry.

I like driving. I don't want to hand over control of my conveyance until I am unable drive myself safely. Your sweeping assumptions about how people feel in this respect are wrong. I know many people that would fight this idea. It would require that everyone ride and not drive if you plan on using the same roads. I think it is: Lame. Lame. Lame.

First: Wonderful design and development. Having lived in New England for several years, I can definitely see the allure of this experience. Following on Nissan's 'Mobile Device,' ethos is wonderful. Also, your illustrations/montages were wonderfully executed.

Second: Unfortunately, Not all of the world is Portland or Seattle or NYC Metro. How would you address those in rural areas? or those, who, unlike your specific demographic queried, actually enjoy driving. Be careful with peer review, and ensure it's not unintentionally biased. Nearly every one I know loves to drive & would rather spend our time in a vehicle under our independent control, even for commuting. These area the people I associate with, due to our common interests. Your immediate peers are that, simply due to that common bond. Do not assume 'everyone,' hates to drive, for it would be just as egotistical as if I were to assume everyone loves sports cars, and drive them at trackdays, as well as commuting.

Interesting concept. And good to raise new questions but I think there are some features of automotive design that have been ignored for the sake of differentiation.

Couple of thoughts:
- Cars are designed to be aerodynamic, this doesn't seem to be
- One of the biggest problems of cars today is that they are unnecessarily big for most commutes - ie one passenger in 5 or 7 seater
- Car styling is, to me, is one of the strongest expressions of visual design and art. I agree with Chris Bangle that cars are art and their emotional connections with their users is not something I think could be easily or should be easily lost.
- I love driving and would hate to never be able to do it.

I think if I was to attack this kind of brief the car would be highly expressive, modular and computer assisted not controlled.

Interesting though

I find it really sad when these designers introduce exhaustive research which was purely subjective and the final outcome is so lack luster. When reading through this article the question that kept surfacing is what makes this different from a train or bus? Also do people really want to relinquish the freedom of transportation? It is only in a perfect world that all people are complacent with driving the same cars at a regulated speed it just never happens .In all reality this article is just another case of “GOD” slash that… “TYRANT” designers imposing these mediocre ideas and hiding behind paragraphs and paragraphs of word vomit in order to support their meaningless shapes.

Very forward thinking.

One big question I have: If something goes wrong, does the computer programmer get hauled into court?

--S

just curious if you have tried this concept out on a "real" road. with other cars. how much would one cost and when would you be able to mass produce the ATNMBL.

Your concept is compelling but it doesn't seem to take into consideration one's personal or emotional experience when behind the wheel of an automobile. Every individual has a certain feeling of power, responsibilty, and freedom when driving, emotions that are void when a car acts as a personal chauffeur.

At first I thought it was a new assymetrical airport tram.

Where are the large wheels, fluid forms, aggressive stance, character lines and shiny trim?

A very american concept yet still, with too much design, too many features, complete lack of D.O.T. safety understanding Yawn its so boring I forgot what I was saying.

as an engineer, my design has become one thousand times more effective because of knowing my limits. drawing a glass form with little to no regard of the technology driving this not only makes your design look juvenile, it is insulting to engineers everywhere.

you have outlined a glass shape that can go anywhere, is powered by solar power, and shows little to no room for the components making it work. you wanted to redefine what a car is, but you forgot why a car is what it is. it's design with a respect and appreciation for the limitations of engineers. this is almost disrespectful because your design shows a great lack of thought for what is needed to make it work.

Yup, there's probably music by people who don't like music, architecture by people who don't like architecture, literature by people who don't like literature...

... and car design by people who don't like cars.

And what do you get?

Thinking outside the box, that puts us in an even smaller box than the one we started with.

As Chris Bangle describes it: automobiles are what we have to solve, cars are what we love. You've created an automobile, just a lot of problems on wheeles. Why not make it a helicopter, or did you think that was a stretch?
The presentation looks really good, but that doesn't make you a designer.

I'm one of those people who prefer driving a car with a manual transmission. It seems like such a simple part of the car, but it's actually very complex and plays an integral role in how the cars runs, responds and how you can use it. Being able to put the car in the gear I want, when I want it, and feel the connection is worth the effort. Plus it keeps you more involved which I think is safer as well.

Some people don't like to be bothered with the extra involvement, and prefer an automatic transmission. Now there are some times when I can see this view point, and these days automatics are getting much better. Instead of doing what they want and frustrating us, they do what we'd expect them to do, what we would've done if we were making the gear changes ourselves.

When the technology and infrastrucutre are advanced enough to allow driverless cars, there will be less traffic and less acccidents, and I think this will make people want to drive more. The reason people don't like to drive is they don't like being stuck in traffic or cut off by careless drivers. If you could drive without having to worry about the negatives I wouldn't be content to sit in a box, completely unattached from the experience. Who wouldn't want the chance to take the jet for a few loops, or be the conductor of the train every once in awhile.

A design that ignores all the natural human desires to interact with their enviorment, to use this tool, to ask "what can I make this car do" seems like a cop-out. This design tells me what the car is going to do for me, not what it will let me do.

I still very much enjoy to drive. There are a few of us left. I actually commuted to work by car the last few years I lived in NYC every day. I loved racing downtown on the FDR. After 20 years living in the city, most of the time with no car, I gladly paid $15/day for parking plus gas, just not to have to take the damned subway anymore. What you have designed is a nice train car. Of course you left out anything that would actually make it work, because that's the hard part. I don't mind flights of fancy, but it's disingenuous to present it as anything but. That being said, I do feel the future will hold automated driving systems, cars networked together to determine the proper distance and speed to efficiently get to their destination. Fine as long as I can have my Sunday drives. As Nick said, if you don't like cars... don't bother designing them.

The day we have to relinquish the sheer joy of piloting a vehicle will be the day I put a bullet in my head.

I love to drive. And enough people out there love to drive enough to put companies like Porsche, BMW, Audi, Ferrari, and all the rest of them in business.

This "art project" masquerading as a car insults the designers and engineers who make functioning, mobile artwork that society wants.

This project simply screams delusional thinking. If people hate driving enough, then use the existing public transportation, or get a taxi.

People love to drive, and they have for the past 100 years.

P.S. One terrorist GPS jammer would cause such a disruption with this computer controlled network, I shudder to envision the carnage.

P.S.S. GPS jammers cost less than $1000, and are widely available.

The top speed is a function of power (acceleration requirements) and gearing (noise/economy requirements). I like the idea of a car that drives itself. There's a few examples that are bridging the gap already; the Mercedes S Class and the Honda Accord have active steering. Whilst your concept looks great, one word jumps out at me: safety. You're still going to be travelling at speed, so where are the seat belts and crumple zones?

One more couch in a glass bowl that solves the worlds problems and fits in the perfect urban future...

Hey ID guys quite reinventing things, try designing them, its harder but much more rewarding.

This stuff should be on yanko not a real ID site

This post is right up my alley; I'm facinated by not only the technology but also the design concept. It's really interesting to see the whole process laid out from the beginning.

We make a brief mention of the Autonomobile on episode 021 of my podcast, which can be found at www.sciencetastic.net. Check us out.

Those of you who think this is a stupid concept are undeniably selfish and are supporting destructive tendencies. Millions of people die yearly because of these noisy, obnoxious, pollutant-spewing death traps we call cars. These are foolish accidents, caused by trivial human error or egotism, that would be virtually non-existent if autonomous vehicles were the standard. Are you really so selfish that you wouldn't give up your "love of driving" to spare so much anguish?

Besides, if such a system were in place, I'm sure a whole new sector in renting luxury cars for track driving would emerge. Think of it as high-end go karting if you will; except instead of driving your Toyota (because it's all you could afford) you could actually be taking performance cars out and pushing them to their limits. No doubt that would slake your lust for speed. How much actual driving does one get the chance to do on their daily commute anyways? I don't think sitting in traffic would compare to flying down a track in an italian sports car.

Open your minds, drivers of the world.

I think the idea is interesting and the day will come for cars to drive themselves. There is definitely a market for a "mobile space" rather than a car. I could see this picking up kids from the soccer game, I could also see this being a great road trip vehicle.

What I really don't like is the styling. I feel that this vehicle is very minimalist. This style is popular with the ID and Interior design crowd, but I don't feel that many people agree with this aesthetic. I think the idea can be pushed further as a mobile living room. Jeremy Clarkson had the right idea:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0qdHEBo3UU

Personally, I enjoy driving and I love looking at cars. I would be afraid if cars will be replaced by this.

Is there a kitchen version in the works for the women?

Here we go another dumb work being appreciated!!
Hey look its a "cheesecake" no its a "room on wheels" no its one of those techy crap and its "saves earth" COOL I want one...
Its a shame to see time wasted in such " out of the box" visualization.. Someone needs a reality check here!

What about the glich

The problem with robotics and computers are that it gives a false perception that they are perfect and fail proof and for centuries we have seen how efficient they are.

For eg. I command the "car" to go to a place that is half way around the country, I have no clue where it is and I go to sleep or enjoying myself with a drink or two - get stoned and I wake up to see that I am in the middle of the desert or much worse.

As Mike Solo says " This project simply screams delusional thinking" I absolutely agree.

Nice work, provocative in a good way. .You are certainly going to piss off a lot of gearheads, but that is probably the point. I can see the Dymaxion car alive again, at least in spirit.

I'm skeptical, and the name of the project itself sums up my skepticism:

Autonomous Automobile

The prefix "auto-" means "self," the suffix "-mobile" means movement or travel. So an automobile is "self-travel." It's already autonomous.

I agree that it's really, really, extremely, excruciatingly difficult to drive a car, and the closer you get to a major urban area the more stressful it gets. But putting a GPS on the thing and expecting people to trust yet another layer of control does not increase the driver's autonomy; it turns the controlled process of driving into an entirely passive thing.

Seems to be the way things are going, though. This project is nothing more than a safety net, like many other safety nets we're seeing lately. Soon enough we won't be able to go to the bathroom without some machine trying to intervene.

In short, sometimes low-tech is good. I'll take the stress of driving, and the true autonomy that comes with it, over this Big Brother version of the automobile any day.

Does any of this remind you of the end scenes from Stephen Spielberg's movie, A.I.?

Out standing concept,
I bleave GOOGLE and hence optimistic that this is our future car.Simply if u dream for some thing and work hard for it you can achive you dream.

I am waiting to see your dream running on roads of this world.

On a positive note the concept looks fairly well researched, the thinking is imaginative and the presentation is well illustrated.As a designer (not automotive) I can appreciate this on those levels. With that said I feel like many others here who really enjoy driving. Because I appreciate high performance cars, their SPEED, their STYLING and their engineering I pray I don't see the day this automobile is the only choice. I'd rather walk. What the designers might need is a spin in a performance car that will corner on rails and a shot at the open road for a few days. It's crazy how therapeutic a good drive can be with some great tunes cranking out of the Harman Kardons.

Typical design-speak gobildy-gook. Automotive design takes a certain passion, and from the looks of your solution--which looks to be a 1950s folded metal magazine rack on wheels, you probably wear wet suits before having sex. Please don't try and teach this stuff to budding designers--they'll be running for ze hills faster than you can say "dull".

This is a great idea. I wouldn't mind being able to sleep on my two hour drive. It saves time and money. I would also like to see a more simple and less luxurious version. As an automobile designer myself I find this design very refreshing.

I still prefer this pick up: http://media.photobucket.com/image/shady%20cabdriver/tootallentphotos/20936-1.jpg

the term "from driving to riding" made an impact on the whole concept. it had great deal taking on the matter of everyone being a passenger instead of one to drive. maybe speed is a necessity for long road treks, but i guess urban scenes require the need for space to "breathe" every time there is a chance. nice. very nice. :)

mike and maaike, always conceptual, always interesting proposals, nice job :-)

Stick to furniture, Mike and Maaike.

Personal, automated transportation is not a new idea. At all. Nor is celebrating the emotive element of passive transportation. These ideas that supposedly upend our normative thought regarding automobiles do nothing of the sort. These ideas have been around for years, if not decades. Your process is solid, sure, but you two are certainly not the first to walk down that path.

Furthermore, as Luno points out, this concept presents no solutions for application in the real world. While our natural resources are dwindling, you present a concept larger than a Surburban with worse aerodynamics. You show no thought regarding powertrain packaging nor safety. The complex electronics required to make this vehicle work are decades, not years, away from commercial implementation.

I also see no need for such a radical shift away from traditional automotive semantics. Architectural semantics --- geometric, transparent, spacious, delicate --- exist for a reason. Buildings do not move, they do not face extreme performance demands, and they do not smash into one another from time to time. The essential "look" of a building communicates these traits. Automobiles, however, do move, do endure acute performance demands, and do smash into one another from time to time. Cars communicate these traits, whether through their limited use of glass, or their sweeping, dynamic lines.

The "typical" automotive aesthetic may have been around for some time; that is because it is honest about the nature of the object, what it does and how it is used. To dress a "car" up as a building is fundamentally dishonest about its use and the demands placed upon it.

Sketching a dream, or creating a lightning rod for discussion: these goals are all well and good. However, there is a need to show some appreciation for the real challenges that separate this dream from reality. This is not design. This is fantasy. M&M, a thinktank you are not.

Its great to see how the design world keeps working on solving the "car problem" however this already existing idea looks like a human death trap. This may eliminate the human error yet, and don't make me make you watch 2001 again, the computer error would be just as harmful, especially in the relaxed environment provided by this car.
And speaking of other realities: Automotive design esthetically and historically would be shameful to simply wipe off as the "solution" to our problem.
Let Enzo Ferrari approve this design. Then we'll talk.

Nice proposal. The comments above seem split between the car fans and those who consider the future. Please set-up a website that takes donations. If there is real support for the concept the reaction should be positive and you will be funded. The laws in Europe allow low powered, not heavy vehicles without all the testing. It is a great place to experiment. Cheers.....

The design of this project and the proposed result is quite nice however I find the most compelling aspect to be its questioning of the commonly accepted automobile paradigm. Tragically most of the comments here miss the weight of this question and dwell on design minutia and narrow-minded fixations on the pleasure of the act of driving (Which, just to say it, is never going to go away whether or not mainstream transportation is car-based, train-based or something else.)

Perhaps we rewind the clock a couple generations: “I love smoking. I can’t imagine not being able to smoke. Why on Earth would a bubble-headed designer create a restaurant or public space where no one could smoke?! And look at those coffee tables they’re proposing: where are the ash trays? Ridiculous!”

The collective commentary of the nay-sayers here illustrate exactly why creative thinking designers continue to be shackled to a life of servitude to those with the money to produce new products or ideas. Instead creative thinkers should not shy from projects like this where the norm is challenged and truly breakthrough ideas surface. The auto industry clearly does not have answers nor does big business have the time or resources to innovate. So who’s going to do it?

Reminds me of a 1996 concept by students from Coventry University.
Follow the link for a blurb, unfortunately I can't find a picture unless I delve into the collection of car bumf I so avidly collected as a 13 year old and is now gathering dust under the bed!
http://www.wiki-north-east.co.uk/article.aspx?id=70926

In Defense of the Car Industry:
Automation has been gradually creeping into our cars since the first automatic transmission was introduced; cruise control, ABS, traction control, throttle-by-wire, automatic braking, active steering, cars communicating between each other, DARPA's X-prize, etc. These REAL WORLD innovations are all gradually leading us towards further semi-automation and reduction of human error.
The market will most likely want to keep the option to control the vehicle when needed. Therefore, some controls will have to be accommodated in the interior as well as a suitable driver position.
Hopefully, there will be more transportation options in the future for those who don't want to drive.

Reminds me of the movie Minority Report. I think this concept is fairly well illustrated in that movie. And Tom Cruise is a fine model for marketing the thing.

I am impressed by the product follow-though, and the prototype is quite nice. But it seems like the design process was subjectively aimed at this predetermined prototype. I don't think coffee on the coffee table would sit, and what about car sickness?

Anyway, I'm with headplow, and would rather walk. Commuting should be done by public transport, and joy riding should be with as little footprint as possible.

NICE CONCEPT BUT..
I WANT AN ALL GLASS DESIGN!!

Your approach to design is what is needed, this is a seed that can grow into something much bigger. But the current generation of petrol heads would find it very difficult (emotionally) to like this concept and there is no doubt that this concept is better for the future then the speed machines of today.

how can we as designers offer something better to the already speed machine brainwashed generation of today? and make it attractive to tomorrows generation?

Best of Luck,

S. Shah

LOVE IT! Especially for the process.
This process rethinks context and culture. It offers new behaviors.

Detroit's biggest problem? It can't see past the given 'car culture' to innovate. And it's obsessed with objects rather than experiences. It's an archaic remnant of the industrial era.

M&M's proposal is not 'car culture'. It's an alternative. Let's see the 30 second commercial for this!

Scott in Detroit

Safety is built into the system folks!

With computers controlling the cars instead of error prone, distracted and sometimes inebriated humans the accident rate will plummet. Not to mention the split second reaction will all but prevent multi-car pileups.

I look forward to the day when I can comfortably move around in a living room type space without "big brother" telling me that I have to be strapped in.

I may be repeating some of the points raised in previous comments, but as a whole, I really loved your article. It provided a clear overview of your thought and design process, coupled with some great doodles and 3D illustrations, which are always handy for wowing your audience. The concept took a very nice, and seemingly appropriate form.

However I do think there is more to be considered, and I am sure that this concept has not ignored these factors:

Safety
The thrill of speed and the freedom of manual driving - how would users wishing to take their older cars out for a recreational drive do so if new road systems were put in place?
ATNMBL for the lower class and poorer individual - what form would these take?
Advantage to the global society

I was also intrigued by a point raised earlier about how the cars could in fact become modules interchangeable between user groups, rented for a journey, like a taxi...

Perhaps a driverless taxi is a more realistic view to the future?

Thanks for posting the article though, it has stirred a lot of creative thoughts in my head!

Mike

This concept is nothing new. It has been around since 1958!! Although I think your design is way cooler with its iPhone-like navi...is def sweet!! Check the original here, its slightly Jetsonesque...

http://www.core77.com/blog/technology/magic_highway_usa_disney_envisions_the_future_of_transportation_in_1958__6276.asp

Too bad the solar panels have to be on the roof!! Wouldn't you love to see the stars while chilling on the couch on your drive through the country?

Good concept. Mentioned earlier in many futuristic comics. Good use of current tech. Maybe you should include "don't have to own one, just own the remote" concept too. You produce to the amount needed worldwide. Place it everywhere in the world. Everybody can use it including kids. Just buy the remote with appropriate price and valid user license provided by the government. Need to use a vehicle, just point your remote to one standby at the parking area. Do some text messaging to vehicle computer and sit down while enjoying the ride.

Why text messaging? Because it applicable to blind people, deaf and mute, those on wheel chair, non English speaking users and easier for the compute to recognize rather than voice.

So basically, make the vehicle public but the key is the one that's being owned here. This way, you will get rid the need for buses and trains. No more traffic light and harrowing traffic congestion.

But what at what cost... you will need a humongous vehicle control center everywhere all over the world. Large amount of energized roads. Maintenance centers funded by everybody through special vehicle user taxes paid monthly. Changes of attitude worldwide.

See... that's the future mode of transportation especially that I dream and want. Some of it you already mentioned in your brainstorm session.

Nice!!! It'll NEVER happen in America - Europe, in aobut 10 years - America? Never...

In the city of Eindhoven, The Netherlands they tried to implement an autonomous public transport service, the Phileas bus.

Info on what went wrong isn't to be found anywhere, rumour says it hit a bicyclist in tests on its seperate buslane (in public space).

The Phileas'es' are driven by busdrivers in reality..
>>>>

Like the atnmbl, besides the fact I'd like to have a 360 view and no-one should be able to look at whatever I'm doing in the vehicle. If such a vehicle was reality it would revolutionize life for commuters in industrialized/urbanized areas. Brilliant!

It seems to me your design assumes that the navigation and control systems are perfect as there are no restraints or crash protection of any kind. I honestly don't think anyone will be willing to ride in a plastic box going at 80 mph with no manual control or safety systems whatsoever. A big part of what puts us at ease about driving despite the terrifying statistics is that we know we are in control, whether or not its a false sense of security is another matter.
PS: Many of us love to drive =)

To take away the need for the wide variety of skills that are required to drive a car would be a very sad thing indeed.

Similar to designers that are only skilled on computers and cannot draw by hand. By taking away our responsibilities we will be breading a lack of commonsence and negate the freedom and enjoyment that can be had on our roads.

Should we also be conditioning ourselves to spending more time inside a livingroom esc environment, waking up to get ready for work only to fall asleep on the commute to work with obesity on such a rapid rise? What will be the bigger problem in 10 years time, obesity related health problems or road traffic accidents?

I have enjoyed this article because it has created a large debate, which a lot of people have very strong feelings for, I hope this was the aim of the its two creators instead of a eureka moment.

My major problem with this proposition is the tiny wheels that lack any apparent suspension. Anyone who has ever taken a ride in a shopping trolly outside of the supermarket will understand what I mean. I think car fans will be able to sleep easily for the time being.

As some one who has worked in the automotive design sector I can appreciate the fresh approach, however I find it hard to take this concept seriously as it seems to lack understanding of some very basic and unfortunately very constrictive regulations involved in basic vehicle design.

I find this design and its supporting rhetoric as refreshing as it is naive. While yes the current climate of transportation design is in desperate need of new modes, what is presented here is nothing more than slick modern furniture on wheels.
Lest you forget that no matter your speed, vehicles today are often shaped by the laws that govern Crash Test and Vehicle Safety Ratings. We don't drive around in glass boxes on sofas because we tend to bump into things from time to time and I like having a bit of steel or even carbon fiber between me and that on coming bus.

A living room with wheels? Come on...

I disapprove. This system would force itself on everyone. In order for automation to work, we all would have to relinquish control over our automobiles. Last time I posted something negative about this article, I was censored. Libertarian viewpoints aren't looked upon too favorably in the communal "lets let computers run the world" car article comment section.

It's a concept design, folks, some initial forward thought and a discussion piece - and so some of the comments here are grossly unnecessary. Constructive criticism, come on.

I really like where this idea is headed. I'm not a driver, I'm someone who relies on public transport and an occasional taxi. The lure of the personal freedom of driving is certainly strong ... while the hassle of road rage, jams and insufficient parking spots means I'm happier on a bus with my book or chatting with my wife.

I can see the petrol-head joy of driving across country, the open road ... but many folks spend their existence travelling day-to-day within a particular town or city. A driver needs to stay focused, right? They're in control of heavy metal machinery... and sitting at the wheel idly moving forward a few yards every 10/20 seconds in a typically congested town/city ... or getting a driving spurt of just a minute or so before reaching the next set of traffic lights... are not a good uses of anyone's time.

So I'd agree that this car concept is worth thinking through. It's not a new idea as it was born in science fiction long ago ... but technology is certainly getting us near the stage where this could be made. Pick it up, take it forward. It's not going to be to everyone's taste, but nothing is.

Yes it is an extension of what buses and taxi's provide for us, and it'd be awesome to have your own travel lounge, just as those people who travel first/business class actually have room to stretch out while travelling.

This concept taken forward could also be great on a sharing or community (pooling) level.

More thought required on lots of levels ... safety & security foremost.

I'll leave someone else to think about the vast market & cultural forces which would oppose this project.

Some other practical aspects could be ironed out, such as internal heating/cooling, comfort (such as ergonomics/anthropometric support, some car suspension), secure storage, provision of shade/privacy, and a design where manoeuvring around a city at even moderate speeds won't result in you sliding off your seat and smacking into a glass wall, or everything sliding off a polished table.

Keep going, take this further and further ...

i don't mean to be offensive, but i'd just like to again comment on how silly this is. designers everywhere slip into the language of vapor and mirage from time to time, with their "ethos", "emotion", and etc. that's fine, and necessary.

but it's juvenile to make a design with an utter lack of regard for what will make it work. this is clearly not a product that will be made in the next 50 or even 100 years, because you simply don't know what goes into your idea. it has a "sensor grid" robust enough to guide it to any location, obeying all traffic laws, with a very low margin of error. it's "solar powered". are you implying that it's a perpetual motion machine? i don't see it being plugged in anywhere to charge. it has a powertrain, but where are the batteries and the battery management systems and the controller and the heavy motor with its mounts and the heating and cooling systems, not to mention everything else that goes into the simplest of electric cars.

your line of reasoning is apparently that computers are better at avoiding crashes than people. unfortunately, this is not so. not at all, not even a little bit. did you see some of the actual autonomous vehicles built by MIT, Stanford, and other prolific engineering universities? they were giant gas-guzzling SUVs filled up to the brim with electronics. and they had problems and failures. quite a few, actually.

now, you want to build a fucking glass house on wheels with a sofa in it, which avoids crashes near-perfectly, is continuously recharged by the sun, and is environmentally friendly as well as safe. who is going to actually build your indulgent fart of an idea? MIT can't. Stanford can't. and, unfortunately, i don't think you will be able to either.

design and engineering are parts of a basic and essential synergy. without one, the other is pointless. a design without regard for engineering is pointless. a machine without regard for design is not pointless, but is ugly, hard to use, no fun, and etc.

disregard either one and you end up with a crock of shit.

i can "design" a beautiful watch that has a tv, chair, espresso machine, and missile guidance system in it, but it still has no basis in reality.

Very interesting as a starting point, was somehow assuming we will have rail based travel in a box in the future. Am more comfortable 'living' (includes, sleeping, eating, etc) in a train than a bus despite both being very mature technologies. Also, why the need for 'head' lights and 'tail' lights? A vestige from todays car design.

As an engineering designer I am dissapointed at some of the comments aimed at these designers. As an engineer first and foremost I too have been guilty in the past of condeming these designers as 'felt-tip fairies' and accusing them of no engineering understanding. Designing for art sake rather than function. As my career has developed I have come to realise that without these people as forward thinkers and a 'what if' mentality, nothing would ever progress from our comfort zone. So keep up the good work you guys. It is now up to the engineers and scientists of the world to make this work for all.

I have seen concepts like these for years in Design Schools that focus on Transportation. Its nothing all that new. People have been thinking along these lines for decades now - even since the fifties i would argue. At the end of the day we can make a difference by attacking the problems in transportation systematically one at a time. (i hate to say that). I have dealt a lot with engineers and i must say the biggest issues i often have is taking them out of their safe zone (the box). Some designers on the other hand don't even know where the safe zone is. They 'think' they are constantly thinking 'out of the box'. However they don't even know where the box is. As is the case in the above concept. When something like this comes from a somewhat respected design house I really expected to see more. Instead I feel like I am seeing another junior level transportation design project. This really looks more like some type of a Marketing PR exercise rather that a realistic attempt at solving a problem.

Do they really want to put a fridge inside the thing? Ggrrr... oh my god... Let's design a new car... how can we pollute even more with them?

This comment is directed at those who are defending this concept. As a purely academic exercise, I concede that this idea is provocative. I also admit that I generally hate naysaying and naysayers. This is a political debate as much as anything. This is the individual versus the collective, and this design heavily favors the collective. I find this idea objectionable on the grounds that the implementation of it would take the control over personal locomotion further away from the user and place it in the hands of a system: One which people would have to 'buy' into. I think that our efforts are better spent developing systems that make human piloted crafts safer, cleaner, and more versatile.

All discussions of sociological impact and manipulation aside... while asymmetry is cool, it's not for everything. And where travel is concerned, it's especially not useful. Your design needs to consider energy usage and how symmetry affords economy. It also needs to consider weather... strong winds will knock this thing around like an ape with luggage.
Not impressed with the focus on drinking, either. I like a good drink every now and then, yes, but you seem to support the idea of arriving at every destination in a reduced state of awareness. Last thing I want to encounter, as I'm walking through a city, is a handful of sauced people stepping out of a large vehicle.
Needs to be smaller, too. I like to travel alone, and I'm sure there are millions of others who do, too. It's "quiet time" for me, many times. I'm also one of the (apparently) few who don't necessarily have a 'need for speed', so being able to 'floor it' isn't a requirement for me.

Commendable idea, though. If it's affordable, smaller, and symmetrical, I'm in.

Piece of crap, do not want.

This would make life so much more boring

It amazes me how quickly the evolutionary value in automotive design of the last century is dismissed as a pointless shallow quest for speed and style... The ignorance shown in the thinking behind this concept is mind blowing.

Honestly, get your heads out of the clouds, and go and spend some time living in the real world, with real people, with real problems and perhaps one day you may turn out something worthwhile.

For me, the outcome of this project is a tiresome, totally cliched, regurgitated take on very old Utopian concepts, lightly veiled in the most up to date technology.

Sure its great to try and make suggestions for how the car could be redefined, and to at least strive for some real innovation in the automotive world, but when you make such sweeping statements, you're going to need something a little more than this to stand a remote chance of being an alternative. Creating an asymmetric, autonomous, moving shop- window certainly doesn't redefine the car.

Honestly, get rid of a few of the 'bluesky cookoos' in your brainstorming group and replace them with real people who can actually give you some useful input.

Surprisingly there is a sizable proportion of the population to whom cars represent a little more than just getting from A to B... And that's because people aren't vegetables. People have complex emotional relationships with the products around them. - A consideration overwhelmingly absent in this project.

In the comments, lots of people make the point that its easy to knock 'out of the box' design thinking and that these kind of people push the boundaries, and move the game on from the dreaded comfort zone. This I think is true and I completely agree that real conceptual thinking is undeniably important . But this is beside the point here.

The point here is that for a highly acclaimed up and coming studio, this is a quite below-par, unoriginal and ill-informed piece of design, which I only think will be detrimental to their future...

As ever the designer promotes his idea as a sole future option, anr/or the audience receives it that way. Reactionary remarks follow. I can see a future in which people both drive cars (for reasons not addressed by this project) and utilise these rather nice pods (for reasons the project does address). - - heterogeneity!

I'd like to inhabit that future. Thanks for sharing this concept.

good concept....but wasn't this invented in 80's film?? Just another 'magic box' and a non automotive designer who thinks they can change the world. The fact is a lot of people do like to drive and will want to long in to the future. I especially liked the french inturn who wanted a beautiful view to eat her cheese and wine. Fantastic idea i'm not saying that wouldn't be nice but it's fantasy just like you mentioned automotive design is 'fantasy.' This concept is suited to city and urban areas due to the battery life and needing to re charge. So the best view you will get i the car next to you or the pavement.

This concept isn't solving anything and is nothing new in the slightest

Im sorry but no

Although the concept would require major cultural and economic changes, I truly think there are merits in the concept of autonomous transportation. Technology has progress to the point where this concept is possible. Imagine not having to drive congested and dangerous freeways just to go to work or to the mall.

Ahhhahaha, this will be a big winner with the millions of car guys/gals who DO enjoy the demands, challenges and the exhilaration of driving. How parochial and peevish.

I think that this is an excellent idea. Everyone needs to start being more economically friendly and this is a great way to do that. I agree with James that some major cultural changes would need to be made and it would take some sacrifices in our part of giving up our cars and driving. I think whether we want to believe it or not, eventually in the future there will be an automated driving system. As for right now, and even 40 years from now, I don't think that this idea is plausible.

I like the design of the ANTMBL. However, I feel like the refrigerator inside is a little unnecessary. A big reason for this design is to help with the pollution problem, why does there need to be a fridge to take up space and essentially pollute some more. With that said, I think that will be a selling point to this contraption, because people will be able to "drink and drive" and not have to worry about have a sober. I think that this a unique idea, and they should start working towards making it happen!

As a means of transportation, it's very good. Yet, if we ought to "ride" instead of "drive" while commuting, what is the main difference between this and mass public transportation?
If there is no basic difference nor advantage (I always used to study, and now even do part of my work while commuting by train), why even bother to concoct it. Oh, because public transportation is somehow "for poor people", and it doesn't get to Suburbia. Well, move to accessible neighbourhoods! Whatever!

For commuting, electric public transport. Period. Something like this for *any long trips* (I do supermarket rides by tram also without any problem), now *that* seems like an excellent idea!