2007: Sharing the Road.
Scale Model on Display at Michelin Challenge Design™
Biography:
Rubem De Floriani, 26, graduated with a degree in product design from the PUC-Rio (Catholic University at Rio de Janeiro) in 2003. Since then, he has been involved in projects for many private companies and government institutions like Inovax, INT (National Institute of Technology) and the Brazilian army.
He also has been awarded in other design competitions: FIAT / 4 Rodas Auto Magazine Design Prize in 2005 and The Microsoft / IDSA PC Design Competition in 2006. His main interest is transportation design.
Description:
The operation of this microbus is completely automatic following guidelines painted on the road read by sensors and controlled by a central system. The vehicles exchange information by GPS which determines its position. The GPS keeps constant time between them and gives this information to the bus stop regarding the current bus schedule. A message is played at the bus station that helps the passengers including blind people. Human intervention would only happen in case of system malfunction or in places where the guidelines don’t exist. In these situations, the microbus counts on sensors located on the rearview mirror and rear bumper to alert when a car is approaching from behind and are within the buses blind spot. If there is possible danger, the system activates a series of audio and visual alerts to warn the operator. These sensors, backed up by GPS, identify objects and living creatures ahead, interacting with the operator to avoid accidents.
The vehicle is set entirely between axis, reducing vibration on the interior and increasing passengers comfort. The powertrain is a combination of four 50 HP of compressed air engines located at each wheel, which lowers the center of gravity and maximizes stability. The climate system uses cool air that comes directly from the exhaust pipe, which is 100% suitable for consumption.
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