Filed under: Concept Cars
Daedalus concept re-imagines the family car
The Royal College of Art's 2006 award for Best Overall Concept Car has been won by 24 year-old Jonathan Punter, for his Daedalus family car. The radical concept also captured the Best Design Interpretation Award.In the catalog for the RCA's annual Summer Show, Punter describes the approach to design that led to the Daedalus: "I look to encourage positive interactions between people who share space and experiences, also examining the interface between user and technology. This is reflected in my choice of major project entitled Future Family Automotive. Exploring biomimetric design principles, I aspire to create a socially responsive interior that functions in the way plants are environmentally responsive... intuitive, and positive."
Punter, whose studies are sponsored by Bentley Motors, says the Daedalus design is inspired by the way in which a flower reacts to its environment. Thus the electrochromic transparent body panels can be darkened to respond to sunlight (and to provide privacy), and the seats rotate to foster a family environment. In a nice touch, the child seats can be removed and transformed into a stroller.
[Source: Artvps via carbodydesign.com]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
James2 2:43PM (8/08/2006)
I hope not. Since the 1950s designers have been showing off "cars of the future" and yet the evolution of automotive design has been more gradual than anything. I suppose weird designs like this make people notice it, but then we forget all about it.
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exstns 2:44PM (8/08/2006)
Hmm... a Flinstones car?
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Adam Singer 2:56PM (8/08/2006)
Wasn't Daedalus a character off of that ancient cartoon Hercules?
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Richard Warren 3:00PM (8/08/2006)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daedalus
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Brian 3:37PM (8/08/2006)
Another car design brought to you by Homer Simpson.
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bob h. 3:41PM (8/08/2006)
As with all concept designs this is never meant to be a production product..Just a exercise in imagination. It does have ideas which will show up later in production. Such as the removable seats into strollers. The swiveling front seat. Glass that will change from transparent to tinted...thats what the exercise provides.
It makes you think about other possibilities.. Personally I would hate to be t-boned in a car like that...
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champcarfan 4:02PM (8/08/2006)
Yea, ok that'll look real nice when the kids toys and soda and other stuff is rolling around inside and gets all over the windows. My wife would'nt be able to put her feet on the dash. Does it come with its own squeege
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John 4:12PM (8/08/2006)
whoa man check out that awesome frontal crash, side crash, and rollover protection...
That vehicle is perfectly suited to drive under the 109 degrees Texas sun...
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gbh 8:50PM (8/08/2006)
But bob h., there's nothing new about changeable glass, swiveling seats, removable seats, or anything else that I have read about this thing.
Did I miss something?
I grant that it's different and certainly creative, but so what? There's hundreds of art students around the world that come up with visual tripe like this all the time.
I'm all for creative design concepts, I guess I just see them as needing to have at least on wheel somewhere in useful/executable reality.
Just seems a waste if there's no possibility of tossing an engine in it and driving it down the street. But hey, that's just me.
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JimboNC 8:45PM (8/09/2006)
Inspired by a lilly he designed a sledge (sled) with windows. Must be a city car -- uh -- Castro,SF, maybe? ;)
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Mike 2:55PM (8/16/2006)
Looks like something out of I Robot. Ugly to say the least.
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