Eventyr by Colin Heridel

2020: Upcycle

Designers:

Colin Heridel
La Grigonnais, France

Strate – School of Design

Description:

Eventyr is an autonomous vehicle that creates social bonds in Copenhagen. Denmark is a country where slow mobility is highly developed. In Copenhagen, individual mobility, electric or not, is the norm. Between bicycles and scooters, the Danes are individualistic and do not share their journey. There is therefore an urgent need to create slow and collective mobility. Eventyr does not go faster than walking, and it allows the inhabitants of Copenhagen to find themselves on marked lines in the city. Accessible to all, it is both a playground for children and a relaxing means of transport for the elderly.

To respond to the problem of slow collective mobility, but also to fit in with the notion of upcycling, I asked myself what positive and negative points were common to each project proposed to be upcycled. Thus, on the positive side, I determined that for 80% of the projects, the autonomous platforms can be recovered to build new vehicles without having to add technologies. However, on the negative side, I noticed that for a large majority of the projects, it is not possible to recycle 100% of its composition, and one of the most difficult elements to process is the tire. Often, there are 4 tires per vehicle and most of them are conventional. I then asked myself what would happen to these tires at the end of their life. In order to be able to preserve the planet, a problem dear to the Danes, Eventyr reuses these used tires to transform them into comfortable seats, storage and protection.

For my vehicle, I needed a stand-alone base that wasn’t too high but long and wide enough to allow users to climb on it. Above all, it had to be already equipped with the sensors needed to move the vehicle around the city. Associated with the recovered tires, cleaned with a biodegradable detergent solution, and welded by a cold vulcanization process, the platform becomes a real vehicle, which can be modulated as desired. For the seats, they are composed of a cleaned tire, on which is stapled a pocket of automobile fabric filled with recycled rubber granules. Thus, depending on the configuration I imagined, it can accommodate 10 people and offer 6 storage spaces for its occupants. Getting on board is easy: just approach it and reach out your hand. Sensors all around the vehicle will detect you and the vehicle will stop. The 360° screen will then communicate with you to welcome you.

Eventyr means “adventure” in Danish. By creating an open playground but also a quiet means of transport, Eventyr is open to everyone. The suspended tyres act as a mashrabium that has a protective role. Users feel protected and confident, ready to meet new people or take the time to talk to those they already know. Eventyr creates social bonds.

Biography:

I am Colin HERIDEL, student in design at Strate – School of Design and I am very interested in the ethical approach, that I try to instill in all my projects. For me, design must above all serve the experience, giving it meaning and responding to a concrete problem. My methodology is simple : after a phase of analysis, I try to establish “out of the box” concepts in very short periods of time to boost my creativity. This results in projects such as Eventyr, which aims to respond to a social need.