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Imagine the year is 2030. By now, 60 per cent of the world's population are living in urban areas with 41 of those cities housing ten million inhabitants or more. At the same time, the advancement in technology, materials and our environmental understanding has changed our city streets beyond recognition. Commuting to work is done via a fully-electric, gyroscopic four-seater motorcycle, capable of weaving its way through traffic and available on demand.
Like something from the pages of a science fiction novel, this is just one of eight visions set out by the Postgraduate students of the Royal College of Art's Intelligent Mobility course in London. Exhibiting their work at the Royal Automobile Club, the students were tasked with designing futuristic transport solutions for those with mobility needs, making travel in urban environments more enjoyable, healthy, safe and cost-effective. With both the FIA Formula E Championship and its driverless support series Roborace helping to make ideas like these a reality through all-electric street racing, here are four concepts that could be making their way to the street sooner than you think.
Autono Me & You
"We wanted to create something for the whole family, whether it be used for the school run or for a business meeting," explains Hamish Chandler of the team Autono Me & You. With a family focus, the concept is centered around an interactive table, which can be used to educate and inform passengers. "When you go past a significant landmark or iconic place, the inbuilt virtual reality system will bring it to life inside the car, enabling the passengers to learn and interact with it," adds Chandler.
Up-Cycle
Reinventing something that's been around for centuries is ambitious to say the least but that didn't stop Team 30 from reimagining the bicycle for the year 2030. Making use of a city's existing cycling network, the Up-Cycle concept is made from Mycelium - a plentiful and inexpensive bioproduct of agriculture that's both fire resistant and biodegradable. Equipped with both pedals and full autonomous abilities, users can earn points by choosing to cycle or relax and enjoy the ride.
Faith
With the aim of cutting congestion and commuting time, Team Faith's gyroscopic four-seater motorcycle can weave its own way through city centres, making use of bike lanes or roads. As a shared and autonomous form of transport, the concept appeals to those more concerned with access than ownership. "The inspiration for the shape came from the aerospace industry," says designer Aaj Patel. "We started with a more race-centric, streamlined shape but we went with a more bubble-like shape in the end - it seemed more friendly, approachable and fitting for public transport."
Link
"We started with the interior and worked out from there," says designer Ashley Kennard. "We focused on making this as innovative as we could," he adds. With flexible seating, made possible by the use of material that changes shape and folds out to suit the user's needs, Link was developed with the hard of hearing in mind. With extensive use of glass and a variety of materials in the cabin, Link focuses on giving passengers a sensory experience, while making the most of the autonomous technology to navigate the city streets.