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Gekko – autonomous demand oriented carsharing

Gekko is an autonomous carsharing ecosystem. The vehicle matches the users taste and reacts on it ́s needs. With it ́s barrier free universal design approach, everyone, regardless of age, purpose of use, size or disabilities, can use it.

What it does

Gekko is an autonomous carsharing ecosystem. The vehicle matches the users taste and reacts on it ́s needs. With it ́s barrier free universal design approach, everyone, regardless of age, purpose of use, size or disabilities, can use it.


Your inspiration

The progressing urbanization causes, in fast growing metropolitan areas, problems in traffic and infrastructure. More and more People want to go in faster timeperiodes from A to B without compromising in individuality and sphere of privacy. Carsharing is one solution. But do those vehicles always fulfill the users needs? How can we design the traveling time more efficient? And how could limited people use carsharing as well?


How it works

Gekko is a future concept designed for a time when fully autonomous cars are established. The primary technologie to adapt to the user is the interior wall guide rail. The Seats, the luggage compartment and the Tables can be positioned on the rail. The Seat is divided in to parts that can separately move to adjust the hight and the size. They can also hide completely behind the luggage compartment or enclose it. One part of the Seat can be turned and used as footrest. This technology is possible to produce like a stair lift. The guide rail is also used as a ambient light source to match the users taste. Another innovation is the e-ink fabric that can change it´s color by polarising tiny pigments within the translucent tube thread.


Design process

The concept was first and foremost a digital elaboration with a highly importance of functionality and realism. After searching for a problem and finding a topic we made a comprehensive research and user-observation. We detected the points of interference in individualization and considered them apart of each other. The solutions were considered in a seating box with different people and scenarios. Important was the sense of space compared to the author dimensions. We used these results for the first design phase. We designed dimensions and technical details. In the second design phase we built a 1 by 3 ratio clay model and clarified design details. Afterwards we built up the 3D model. For the animation film we made up three scenarios and wrote a script. After that we filmed outside footage material, did rendering animations and filmed green screen footage of persons. After uncountable sleepless nights of cutting work we finally had out concept.


How it is different

At the time of finalization there was no concept of a fully autonomous car, that fits the users needs. Almost all existing vehicles used for carsharing are standard production vehicles. Gekko is a car that doesn´t stigmatize users with disabilities, as well as old people and people of different sizes. By stowing the seats behind the luggage compartment a wheelchair user for instance can take a seat without the help of any lift or special construction.


Future plans

At the moment we continue to develop the concept together with a designated company. We looking forward to see parts of the design in production vehicles as well as seeing more universal design approaches in automobile applications.


Awards


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