2011: Plus 10. The Best is Yet to Come!
2:1 Industrial Design Team
Alexandre dos Santos Turozi
Elisa Strobel
Ivandro de Barros Ribeiro
Jose Serafim Junior
Mayara Atherino Macedo
Rodrigo Brasil Krieger
Theo Orosco da Silva
Donato Goncalves do Nascimento
Biography
The “2:1 – Industrial Design” team is a multidisciplinary group that has been working together since 2008. In April 2009, the joined forces were made into a company and since then it has been growing and adding more people to the team, as well as creating partnerships. The 2:1 works with innovation, bringing close together various Brazilian market segments, such as furniture, cosmetics, industrial equipment, toys and especially mobility. It is a young Brazilian company that develops strategy, innovation and design.
Description
The “OU” concept (“OU” means “or” in Portuguese) arose from the observation of trends and everyday matters in Brazil.
At least in the last five years, motorcycle sales in Brazil have increased two digits every year. This demonstrates the Brazilians desire for flexibility to move around independently and free, without relying on public transport, which brings a problem of space, energy consumption and pollution.
As well as in cities all over the world, there is an increasing number of traffic jams throughout the country. A problem before limited to the big cities, today affects medium and even small towns.
Another aggravating factor is that nearly all the country’s economy depends on the transport of goods by trucks, in all its 8,511,965 km2 extension. This condition results in accidents, situations of long traffic jams, waste of resources, stress and loss of quality of life.
Solving this problem is no easy task, as the Brazilian cities are rarely planned, solutions requiring drastic structural changes are quite complicated.
For this reason, solutions that make use of the existing infra-structure for a new concept became highly relevant. That’s why the project fits to the reality of the country, not needing a great expansion of the urban roadways.
Therefore, in this proposal, the rails are intended to be deployed in the existing traffic ways only in some areas of the city, which the driver will then use, moving at non-stop constant speed, avoiding getting stuck in the main Brazilian streets, creating a constant flow.
So the major changes won’t be on the pathways, but on the car wheels, which should be adapted to roll on the rails. Ideally the consumer will purchase the whole vehicle, however, those who do not have the means to, will be able to only buy the wheels and install them in their vehicles.
Aesthetically the product stands for speed and innovation, having a friendly appeal in it’s geometrical solution. It’s form alludes to nature, linking it both to the origin of the main solution – the movement of fish shoals – and to the country it is intended for, having nature as one of it’s great features for the whole world to see.
The concept brings to the Brazilian time saving, reducing stress and freedom to move independently. Another highlight is the applicability nationwide, as a new mobility model. It can also be adopted by other countries with energy sources based on renewable, low carbon emissions.
The product’s adaptability makes it unique, giving the user the option of transport with or without rails, and also to choose between the closed-wheel drive, making the car more horizontal, and the opened-wheel drive, diminishing the length of the car, making it more stable.
The project’s proposed type of transportation brings a new and innovative alternative to the vehicle flux on the city’s streets, so that it becomes fluid and uninterrupted in certain locations.
Another important factor is the search for the break of the traditional car and motorbike configuration concept. The goal was to create a new vehicle, different from those on the market – but also to adapt a natural and inevitable evolution and to adequate itself to the many daily situations, in both its aesthetical and functional solutions.
Moreover, the incorporation of functionalities to its aesthetic is another interesting highlight of the project. Another great feature is that in any mode (open- or closed-wheel drive), the product keeps harmonious and aesthetically well resolved.
The moving pattern of this proposal was designed based on the movement of shoal-fish, that move in groups, in a Constant and uniform speed. By programming the GPS and activating the SYNC function (mode), cars with the same pathway/destination scheduled synchronize and behave like fish shoals, controlling the distances between each other and avoiding traffic jam.
This movement occurs by the implementation of rails in the main streets of the Brazilian cities, giving the driver the option of using or not the rails. All drivers that install the proposed Wheel in their vehicles will be able to use these rails, as the wheel has a system for getting in and out of the rails.
A Concept Suggestion is the development of a nanotechnology material which adapts the tires from Slick Tires to Rain Tires, just as the water wrinkles human body’s hands and feet. So in a dry environment, the slick tire provides more grip and less friction, and with water contact it would create the necessary tire treads to avoid hydroplaning – giving them more adherence in the rain.
Through its wheel positioning system, which opens and closes, the vehicle gives the user different settings for his automobile, which affect its dimensioning and drivability.
Still, it is an electric vehicle that recharges both through wheels and rails and in electrical recharge stations all over the cities, positioned to provide the energy for the several other electric vehicles. Therefore, the wheel has an electrical system that will recharge ion-lithium batteries of great energy density, while the rails and the charge stations have a great amperage number, optimizing the recharge process.