IKEA future living lab SPACE10 in collaboration with visual trend lab f°am Studio, has unveiled 7 autonomous vehicles. The project is a visual exploration of how fully autonomous vehicles could one day enable a more fulfilling, everyday life. Spaces on Wheels challenges the traditional idea of the car by showcasing how autonomous vehicles could support the very activities we spend most time on – while moving you from A to B.
We are on the verge of what could be the most significant period of change in the automobile industry. Technologies like electrification, connected and automated driving are making notable progress. One day, in the not so distant future; fully autonomous vehicles could be a common occurrence on our everyday streets. This would not only redefine how people and goods move around our cities, but also redefine the very fabric of our daily lives. With this in mind, SPACE10 continues to explore urban mobility with a current focus on how self-driving technologies could enable a more fulfilling everyday life for the many people.
“Spaces On Wheels is playful research for us, so besides a report, we wanted to bring our visions to life to engage more people in the potentials,” explains Kaave Pour, Co-Founder and Managing Director, SPACE10. “When spaces are able to move themselves, then they would no longer just be means of transportation, but could be tailored to the very activities we spend most time on – while moving you from A to B. This could profoundly change the lives of the many people for the better and that is also why we find it so interesting.”
The outcome of the first exploration has resulted in 7 designs to trigger conversations:office, offering flexible workspace; café, providing coffee on the go; healthcare, administering mobile treatment; farm, delivering fresh produce; play, described as an ‘AR joyride’; hotel, conceived as an urban sleepover; and shop, a pop-up retail outlet.
In addition to the vast promises of what fully autonomous electric vehicles could enable: from increased safety on roads, better health in cities, greater convenience, more efficiency, reduced environmental impact, the freedom of mobility for more people, SPACE10 aim to elicit a broader dialogue on how we should perceive and design these spaces. What would we like them to be?
“Google ‘car of the future’ and you’ll get a slew of images straight out of science fiction: sleek, sterile, chrome painted machines,” says Bas Van De Poel, Creative Strategist, SPACE10. “We propose an alternative to this, because we believe that those who imagine the future often end up shaping it. This is our contribution to the conversation around the future of urban mobility. Autonomous vehicles shouldn’t, however, be seen as the silver bullet, far from, as we generally need cities that prioritise pedestrians, bikes and public transportation much higher.”
“For us it was important to think holistically and globally about the concept of future mobility,” adds Henrik Mauler, Founder, f°am Studio. “To think what kind of potential we see for change for our cities, what kind of feeling of urbanity we want to see and what impact this will have on how we shape our society. We therefore designed vehicles that feel approachable, human-centered and welcoming.”
“IKEA is a curious company and we need to constantly explore new opportunities,” Göran Nilsson, Concept Innovation Manager, Inter IKEA Systems, said. “We don’t have ambitions of manufacturing cars, but in a future where people no longer have to worry about driving, vehicle interiors can expand to a point where we no longer are designing cars, but rather small spaces. Then it’s suddenly an area where we have a lot of experience, but also an area where we would like to engage for new insights.”
To allow more people to envision a future ecosystem of flexible, purpose-built spaces that are available on demand and designed to accommodate diverse needs and lifestyles, SPACE10 and digital design studio Norgram added a feature in the SPACE10 app, where you can order and explore each of the 7 Spaces on Wheels direct from your phone via augmented reality.
Bring the designs to life using an iPhone 6S or above with iOS 11 installed, and simply download the SPACE10 app and open the Spaces on Wheels experience. Here is a direct link to the app: http://s10.io/sow
