There are a lot of arguments to be made for self-driving cars. I want to focus on a different one than I usually hear, though — that self-driving cars will allow us to create formerly impossible transportation experiences.
The advent of automation technology presents an opportunity that no one seems to be fully aware of — fundamentally changing the way we look at and use the interior space of a car.
Putting a robot in control of the vehicle means that there is essentially no need to put a human at the front left side. The interior seating hierarchy of driver, shotgun, back seat is essentially meaningless if there is no driver.
The relationship between us and our cars will fundamentally change if we don't have to be behind the wheel. If we don't have to focus on the road, then there's no need for us to even look forward.
Mercedes is already moving in this direction with the F 015 self driving car. The car allows passengers to, "use their newly gained free time while travelling for relaxing or working as they please," according to the Mercedes-Benz website.
The idea of having a quick conference or breakfast with the family on the way to work is appealing, but there are so many more possibilities
I'm talking yoga classes en route to the office. Rolling meditation gardens. Automated coffee shops that can drop you at work with a latte and a hot croissant in your hands. Imagine how much better your commute could be if you were getting a mobile massage treatment.
Self-driving technology will allow cars to stop being just a tool for transportation. Riding in some autonomous vehicles will truly be an experience, and hopefully one that you can share with friends.
The idea of a car being more of a communal human space has made waves in the automobile world before. In 1972, for instance, Italian architect Mario Bellini designed the "Kar-A-Sutra."
The Kar-A-Sutra was designed from the inside out, as Bellini tried to “make the car a mobile human space.” The primacy of the driver was removed in favour of an open space for gathering, eating, or sleeping or other “pleasurable” communal activities. There were no seats, but an assortment of cushions made from a first-generation memory foam. The cushions could be rearranged at will to form all manner of seating or sleeping surfaces. A continuous thin storage container ringed the passenger compartment so that items could be stored away.
The Car-A-Sutra
There is also a beautiful sketch that depicts some of the many arrangements one could choose for the interior of the car:
I love the version with the piano on the bottom right.
I'm a huge fan of Modular Design, aside from the extra waste it can produce. These thumbnails are a perfect example of all of the different experiences one could have in a vehicle with a flexible, human-centric design.
Volkswagen's concept for a revamped minibus takes advantage of some modularity in its design. The seats can fold down into a bench or be removed and replaced with a small table. While it's not as flexible as modular systems can be, its a really great modernization of a classic vehicle. It maintains the nostalgia while also offering greater potential uses.
The thing I really like about the Car-a-Sutra, though is it's design. It shied away from conventional vehicle design practices, and really was conceived as a room first and a car second. Most concepts you see for autonomous vehicles are still mostly car-shaped. On the one hand, this is probably because of practical concerns like aerodynamics, but on the other, there is a lot more potential for vehicle shapes and sizes that we haven't quite tapped into yet.
It would be so easy to market and sell unique self-driving cars. Their main feature, a shared vehicular experience, is also a perfect selling point. The ad spots for these things really write themselves. I can think of a perfect ad for a self-driving car in WIRED:
Two middle class yuppies are on their way to work, clad in the finest business casual attire. They're reclining in front of a motion-blurred mountainscape, a shared look of serene bliss on their faces. The ad copy reads, "Take your eyes off the road." No more than a brand logo on the bottom of the page. That's all you need to know.
Here's one for Vanity Fair:
An elegant woman in her early forties stares into her lover's eyes as she sips a coffee from the on-board Keurig machine. Just behind her, you can see the Mercedes logo glowing on the dashboard, not a steering wheel in sight. There's a canal or some european buildings in the background. "Cars drive, we live."
Just one more, this time for TV. This could run between episodes of Grey’s Anatomy or The Bachelor:
Two elementary school kids from two different families go on a commute to school. The first kid is in a normal car. Boring. Backseat. No fun. The second kid is in a self-driving car that the family turned into a mobile game room using the modular features. They enjoy some fun family bonding on the way to school. The slogan: "No two families are the same. Your cars shouldn't be either."
Now, I'm pretty sure stole that slogan from some bank or insurance company, but you get the idea.
I can see massive potential for unique autonomous vehicular experiences. It goes beyond just making better versions of the same thing. We can redefine what it means to move and be transported. We can make cars less boring for everyone.
As always, thank you for reading. If you’re a designer or engineer and you can think of a better use for autonomous vehicles, let me know! Also I love seeing new ideas, so please share any other cool self-driving concepts you've come across. Follow me on twitter @JeremyCummings3 or Instagram @that.dirtball.guy to stay updated on what I’m doing.