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Jun 23, 2004 - Postgraduate students at London's Royal College of Art recently presented the results of a multi-disciplinary design project in collaboration with Fiat Advanced Design. Twenty eight students from four RCA departments worked with Fiat to create six visionary solutions for city transport in the year 2015.
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The project briefing was designed to challenge the preconceptions of the discipline and was divided into two parts with the department representatives and Fiat Advanced Design staff and specialist advisors. Initially, a college-wide presentation outlining Fiat Advanced Design methodology and thinking was presented to students across the RCA. The purpose of this was to foster interest in the project and to investigate possible collaborations between the students. This included an overview of Fiat Advanced Design's activities and recent projects such as the Ecobasic and the Trepiùno.
After an incubation period, there was a targeted second briefing session where the project was presented in more detail and specialists provided broader insights into Fiat's history and a business prospective on the future of the motor industry. The project was based in the Vehicle Design Department as part of the first year programme, and participating students were required to form teams with students from other RCA departments.
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Six teams committed to the project with students from Textiles, Interaction Design and Design Products. Students were asked to express their vision about the future of Fiat using flexible platforms, architectures and technologies to devise a suitable vehicle for the future.
Abarth Pixel
'Automotive Upgradeability' was the basis for the Abarth Pixel 'full-sized' 3-seater vehicle concept by Etienne Salome, Frank Heyl, and Christian Hrabalek, that aims to amplify and extend product emotion and fascination, both during and after vehicle purchase.
The idea for this concept emerged while the group was analysing companies from other industries, such as mobile phone providers, where maintaining profitability and growth relies on a shift in the services on offer, such as analogue upgrades (exchangeable phone covers) and digital upgrades (software downloads).
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Etienne Salome, Frank Heyl, and Christian Hrabalek
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The interior of the Abarth Pixel is based around the concept of ‘Analogue Upgradeability' enabling initial and successive customers to tailor-build the size and fit of the Abarth Pixel at the local dealer. The interior is laser-cut from two sheets of leather which are sandwiched on a rapid-prototyping, or SLA, frame. The frame and leather is provided and fitted by the Fiat dealer, which becomes more of an individual tailor than a mass-market factory outlet. The Fiat dealer of the future no longer solely creates profit through sales and servicing the client (previously a win-lose scenario to the disadvantage of the customer), but increasingly through upgrades and tailor customisation: a win-win scenario for both sides.
The exterior is based on the concept of 'Digital Upgradeability', enabling the consumers to modify the outside appearance on a continuous basis. The idea of upgradeability is a further development of existing schools of thought which state that the automotive industry needs to offer more individuality and customisation, while at the same time must become even cheaper and increasingly economical. In this way, it can remain interesting and new for the buyer, theoretically on an unlimited basis.
The exterior differentiates itself from other cars through a large transparent Daylight Opening, which in combination with laminating Philips e-Ink into the glass, enables the vehicle to feature countless derivatives of theme graphics, brand graphics, and images. The consumer is offered a canvas for self-expression, which can be compared to personalised screen savers on computers and mobile telephones.
Self
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The 'Self' project was based around the notion of personal space, modularity and collaboration between industry partners. The proposed product 'Aqua' is aimed at the youth market, as a low-cost, quality product for private transportation. The aim of the project was to change the public perception of Fiat by designing affordable quality product that appeals to the target user group and global emerging markets.
The vehicle uses a 'skateboard' fuel cell platform manufactured by Fiat, where collaborative companies such as Ikea and Fila would handle the design and manufacture of the interior platform and exterior shell.
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This would allow for immense product diversity, by allowing people to choose interiors and exteriors to suit their individual tastes, as well as a wide range of quality and feature levels. The project also looked at the interior as a highly customisable personal space, as an extension of the user's living space.
Aqua also explores the use of textiles which integrate interface systems and circuits by weaving them into the fabric, enhancing the modular build concept through greater flexibility and upgradebility, and allowing for a subtle integration of controls within the interior surfaces.
Tessuto
With the aim to encourage interactivity from pre-ownership through to daily use, the Tessuto team undertook three explorations of the principle of creating a vehicle from a box which is constructed from interactive surfaces and form-adaptable textiles. The owner plays an active part in the 'nurturing' and arrangement of the vehicle layout and components.
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Transparent displays, touch screens and adaptable exterior surfaces can be activated by pedestraians and owners, enabling personal spaces to be created outside the vehicle as well as inside.
Concept 1: Public Space
Using adaptable fabrics, the vehicles side can be transformed from a flat surface to a usable open space, to be used as seating or protection. Transparent displays replace glass and are activated when stationary. These can connect different locations around the world, showing a live feed from another city.
Concept 2: Sport Textile
A basic outline structure with adaptable fabric skins on all the major surfaces, inside and out, allowing many different looks. The interactive roof can be moulded to form a personal space on the outside, and also be used as a grip stowage system for large objects. At its centre, the structure is secured by a single pin which compresses the vehicle down to a compact deliverable package.
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Tessuto design team: James Moon, Jacobo Domingues, Lionel Santos, Aoife Ni Mhorian, (Lucy McMullen not present)
Public Space
Sport Textile
Individual
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Concept 3: Individual
A single seat car that recreates the feeling of a personal armchair. A simple design to be completed by the owner, it is based around a two arch structure with fabric draped over it. Once built, entrance is by a zipped flexible door in the fabric side. The same fabric technology is used inside enabling the seat to go completely flat and support the external seating concept, as in all three themes.
Interaction Features
While the vehicles are stationary, a representation of the owner in the form of a character exists in the outer surface. These characters behave independently of the vehicle and are responsive both to human touch and another vehicles's presence. This promotes owner-pedestrian and vehicle-vehicle interaction.
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