2008: Smaller. Safer. Better.
Scale Model on Display at Michelin Challenge Design™
Design Team
Xinyun He (designer)
Haocong Wu
Hua Gong
Gewa Gongben (clay modeler)
Biography
Xinyun He, 21, was born in “the land of abundance” in China. He is currently in his fourth term in the School of Automotive Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology. He is studying automobile design at the same time. Acuteness and dazzle are his style. After graduating, he wants to pursue a career in automobile and industrial design.
Description
“Frog Prince” got inspired from the frog. When a frog inhales, its neck swells, a characteristic applied into “Frog Prince” —- airbags are loaded among the flexible carriage. This core technique separately places four big airbags between the main carriage and the front and back flexible carriages. The unique big airbags employ more powerful energy absorbency and cushion function than other solids. When a collision happens, the front or back carriages contract inward, cushion, and open the airbags. The cushion and spread of airbags transform the intense pressure, resulted from concentration on a small area of impact, into dispersed, large-area and less forceful pressure, preserving the form of main carriage, hence minimizing the possibility of passenger death and carriage destruction.
Carriage: The unique flexible frame design enhances the rigidity and the capability of dispersing outside forces to the greatest degree. Connected by a hydraulic unit and ball bearing slides, the front, back and the main carriage can contract no matter in low-speed driving or in crowded streets and garages, facilitating an easy access of “Frog Prince” in crowded area. They enhance the rigidity and the capability of dispersing outside forces to the greatest degree.
Seat: When a collision happens, the impact between head and the head rest may cause the death of a passenger. The exceptional separation structure makes the head rest jointed with the car body behind the seat through a ball bearing slide. In an impact, the head rest keeps the same movement with head in the greatest extent through the ball bearing slide, thus lessening impacts between head and the head rest.
The various new elements employed in the design of “Frog Prince” turn it into an excellent, safe mini car combined with technology and nature.
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