AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE SIMULATOR FOR FORD MOTOR COMPANY
REDEFINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MACHINE AND HUMAN.
We waste thousands of hours of our lives sat in cars, getting from A to B. But when autonomous vehicles become the everyday, what are we going to do with all that time? What is a car when you no longer need to drive? A meeting room? A dining room? A cinema? A bedroom? This fundamental question sat at the heart of the Autonomous Vehicle Simulator project – a visionary exploration created in response to intensive research that has allowed Ford to conceive, then experience, rapidly developed products in an immersive, high-fidelity environment.
AVS is a holistic, integrated physical and digital experience. The project studied the future city and the urban landscape, as well as demographic shifts, technology roadmaps and evolving user behaviours, ultimately synthesising a unique set of high-value opportunities which generated hundreds of new patents for Ford.
Initially working with the Native team as special advisor on brand and consumer interaction, then later as their Chief Creative Officer, we developed a vast array of innovations within AI, application & service design, projected image HMI, transparent contextual display, mechanical invention, together with highly-tailored touch and voice control that amplified brand presence and enabled premium end-to-end experiences.
THE CAR INTEGRATES WITH ITS ENVIRONMENT, CONVERSING WITH THE CITY TO REALISE CONNECTIONS.
WHEN YOU NO LONGER NEED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE, IT BECOMES A NEW SPACE TO BE TRANSFORMED INTO ANY CONFIGURATION TO SUIT NEEDS.
A year of cross-market research uncovered fascinating insights into mobility services and trends, and led to our pioneering approach: IOD, Inside-Out Design. Current automotive design methodologies were never formulated to take into account an electric, autonomous future. IOD was our response to this.
IOD defines a space from the customers need-state, out. Such a space brings with it the enormous potential of service creation and brand partnership to create fresh revenue streams. New service models within AVS place goods and content within easy reach, while intelligent connection to the outside environment brings timely and relevant interaction with passing retail opportunities and discoveries directly into the vehicle.
Windows incorporating responsive digital glass together with spatially precise audio creates a uniquely immersive experience, allowing guests to transform the space into a noise-cancelled private sanctuary, or allow whatever they wish of the outside to come inside.
User interfaces, appearing only when contextually relevant, are woven beautifully into the very fabric and texture of the interior; Multi-modal interactions such as touch and voice are combined with high resolution displays and projections hidden within the table veneers, windows and seating to avoid visual overload and promote a calming, revitalising environment.
The simulator, housed next to the original Model T in the historical Ford Pickett Building, has transformed the understanding of mobility for hundreds of stakeholders and industry leaders, and continues to inform Ford's autonomous future.
"The Autonomous Vehicle Simulator morphs the current automotive business model into a smartphone-like platform.
Offering radically new interactions, behaviours and services, it enables lucrative opportunities for AI, Apps, Data and Brand partnerships. This will drive revenue back to the car manufacturers in the same way Apple benefits from its iPhone platform.”
IDSA
INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS SOCIETY OF AMERICA
