How will tomorrow be different from today? We’ll live longer and move faster. Our resources will dwindle while our technological capacity grows. But our basic needs to sleep, eat, work, and get from place to place will stay the same. That last part is what we’re interested in here. How will we move people, things, and spaces together in the next decade? The case study of IDEO about the future of automobility tries to find out this.
The Future of Moving People
As we move from struggling with today’s inefficient relationship between cars and
infrastructure to one empowered by automobility, today’s slow journeys will seem
much faster as we are empowered to do so much more while on the go.
READY to SERVE
Morning! I’m all charged up and ready to
head to work with my owner, Sheila… But it looks like she’s running a bit late.
ID30-14 STATUS REPORT, 7:00 am
Why Driverless Cars?
Driverless cars are safe and efficient solutions to the recent rise in urban density. Futurologists predict that every shared autonomous vehicle will replace 11 conventional cars in the coming years.
SEAMLESS SYNCING
Here she is now. Time to sync up with
her phone and check out her day…
Whoa, it’s packed!
ID30-14 STATUS REPORT, 7:03 am
Winning Back Time
When Alex Brown of the National Journal first took a ride in a self-driving car, he founded the experience “almost boring.” A boring commute means that passengers like Sheila can re-focus on more interesting and pressing tasks.
SMART ROUTING
Looks like our usual commute is
pretty busy today, so we’ll take
the scenic route.
ID30-14 STATUS REPORT, 7:05 am
Room with a View
A generous interior design complemented by an open greenhouse can provide beautiful, unobstructed views for passengers in selfdriving cars. Sightseeing doesn’t get any better than this!
PARTNERING UP
Let’s keep an eye out for who else is on the road today and see how they’re driving. Safety first!
ID30-14 STATUS REPORT, 7:18 am
Safety First
In 2011, there were 5.3 million automobile crashes in the US, resulting more than 2.2 million injuries and 32,000 deaths. The coming era of autonomous cars raises a few concerns about legal liability and safety, but there are good reasons to believe that self-driving technologies make roads safer.
LINKING MADE EASY
Time to link up so Sheila can get busy. Traffic is easing up now – I guess more folks are platooning. T-minus 39 mins to work!
ID30-14 STATUS REPORT, 7:20 am
Linking Made Easy
During linked driving or when “platooning”, green lights indicate to drivers when other vehicles are open to linking or are already coupled. Multiple affordances aid drivers in finding and linking up to other vehicles headed to similar destinations.
STATUS INDICATIONS
Always good to let folks around me know whether Sheila is driving or if I have the wheel. Our green linking-status lights do just that.
ID30-14 STATUS REPORT, 7:27 am
New Language of Mobility
Just like the high-mounted, third brake light that has enhanced driver safety since its introduction in the mid-1980s, new ways of indicating whether a car is in autonomous mode or under the driver’s control can be designed and standardized.
THE POWER of CHOICE
When Sheila hands the driving over to me, it frees her up to do so much more on the way to work.
ID30-14 STATUS REPORT, 7:28 am
No Looking Back
Side-mounted video cameras feed side views to a central location within the vehicle while side sensors and active lane guidance prevent blind spot encounters.
THOUGHTFUL TRANSFORMATIONS
Sheila is requesting a bigger workspace. Time to tuck away the steering wheel and pedals for a while.
ID30-14 STATUS REPORT, 7:30 am
Collaborative Console
Empowering passengers to work on the road can significantly reduce the impact of time lost to commuting. The center console provides an interactive surface that can support multiple users in both private and collaborative work.
ENLIGHTENED COMMUNICATION
Sheila and her friends are headed out after work, and I’m back on the job.
ID30-14 STATUS REPORT, 5:15 pm
What Changes at Night?
At night, projected visuals on the roadway make it more apparent that vehicles are linked.
ENHANCED AMBIENCE
Looks like everyone is up for a happy hour at our favorite spot! I’ll set the mood and make sure they get home safely afterward, too.
ID30-14 STATUS REPORT, 5:30 pm
Flexible Seating
Seats can be built on a multi-point pivot and slide frame, allowing occupants to engage with one another more natural and comfortable as they travel.