2014: Driven | Undriven.
Biography:
Born in Senegal, Amadou Ndiaye moved to Montreal (Canada) in 2007 to study industrial design. He graduated from the University of Montreal but also had the opportunity to be an exchange student in Paris where he attended Strate College. He enrolled for their transportation design program which included a project in partnership with Peugeot.
In 2011, he was nominated in the wallpaper* magazine graduate directory which is selected worldwide by the editorial team of the magazine and is held each year to reward creative talents in many areas.
He was also part of the shortlisted entries for the Car Design News contest – interior motives design awards 2011.
Amadou is now pursuing his career at Brio Innovation Inc., an industrial design firm in Montreal.
Description:
CO-V (Co-vehicle) is an autonomous vehicle for car sharing services. The concept CO-V (“covee”) reflects how cars will be used in the future by the current “Y Generation” and trying to solve a number of drawbacks: the inability to customize and adapt the vehicle according to its type of use and the vehicle access.
With the gradual decline of the “baby boomers” in the car industry in favor of the “Y generation” we are witnessing the arrival of new trends in transportation based primarily on car sharing and temporary rentals. Indeed the costs associated with owning a vehicle and the instability in today’s society causes users of the “Y generation” to increasingly opt for more flexible, spontaneous and immediate options like car sharing services. The concept CO-V is a vehicle specially made for this kind of use.
For this type of service (car sharing), the profile of users is so varied that the only possible compromise is to have several types of vehicles in its fleet, which unfortunately will result in additional costs for the company that manages the service.
Thanks to its modularity, CO-V offers several types of indoor and outdoor configurations. Thus, the user has the ability to download applications on their mobile phone to customize the rear of the vehicle according to his needs: Hatchback, Sedan, station wagon, pick up etc.
The changes take place through a series of hoops (stacked in layers) that surrounds the entire rear of the vehicle and slide along the walls of the body to change the volume and shape of the vehicle. These poles move independently and are connected by a thin rubber layer that provides insulation from the cockpit.
The front of the vehicle takes an avatar thematic with the option for users to download different themes for the headlights.
In terms of dynamic parameters, the driver can choose between two driving modes: manual mode and autonomous mode. In the latter it is the vehicle that handles all driving parameters: acceleration, braking, steering etc.
Autonomous cars offer significant advantages to many users through a service of car sharing:
- Fleet management: vehicle may dispatch itself in a given territory.
- Service Access: The user does not need to go look for the vehicle, rather it coming towards him.
- Time and convenience: the user can do other than driving during the journey to work, talking on the phone, read etc.
The particularity of this car is the fact that it’s used for sharing purposes and will also be used at a higher than average frequency compared to other cars. The vehicle will also be used in urban and unpredictable conditions as far as traffic and weather. Because of that matter the car is equipped with very versatile wheels that will enable it to improve maneuverability in autonomous mode: omnidirectional technology and durability: “tweel” technology (airless tire) developed by Michelin. That allows, in the long term, the wheels to endure a higher rate of trips compared to regular wheels.