Future of cars?, what do you think? Options

[creis]

GINA

whats your opinions? I'm kinda leaning twards no but there are some serious advantages.

[FreddyTheOthaMea...]

thats freaky...

[GriffGirl]

The headlights are COOL! I like the way the skin opens up like eyes. As to the rest of it, it's an interesting idea, I'd be curious to see where they go with it. Clearly this prototype is completely impractical, lacking any reflective properties, and I'd wonder about impact resistance.

[manphibian]

Interesting but ultimately fairly pointless.

[x_itchy_b_x]

pretty neat concept. imagine the skins you could buy lol

[D-Man]

x2 on the freaky...

I've got a rag-top already, I dont think i'd want a rag-car

[Random_Stranger]

Yeah, then you might have to take your cars in so they can get circumsized on their 16th birthday. They might come with an extra layer of skin that you might have to pull back to get "More Pleasure" out of driving. So if you get in a wreck, would you use a bandaid and let it heal? Okay, okay...... I know.... Anyways...... I don't like it, but I'll say this. That guy can talk Britney Spears into being a born again Christian. He makes things sound so....... Much Better....

Oh! and don't show Christina this...... She might try to have this procedure done to Alexi! :-X



Just curious, would you have to Dry Clean that car in order to wash it?

This post has been edited by Random_Stranger: Jun 11, 2008 - 2:48 PM

[D-Man]

Dry clean the car

Man, I've a black ragtop, and it starts to fade and spot over time and has to be replaced every few years, but this would be... Re-bodying the car? a whole new skin every few years? that'd suck. I say they just make if of liquid metal like in terminator 2. FTW!!

[BloodyStupidDave...]

whats your opinions? I'm kinda leaning twards no but there are some serious advantages.

About time we had some serious innovation. The specific materials they chose make sense for a concept car but not for a production vehicle. But once you start asking questions like this, you start getting some really interesting answers.

For instance, there are plastic-like materials that change colour depending upon the voltage or current running across its surface. Imagine a car where you could choose the colour of all its body panels from the on-board computer much like one can change the undercar glow on some show cars.

Another good example (and kinda hinted at with the video) - car headlights are the size and shape they are because of the high temperature tungsten bulbs we have used in the past. If we use LED lights, the headlights can be 5mm slits in an otherwise unbroken bodywork. We can return to the lines of 1980s/1990s cars such as the 5th gen. Celica but where the lines stay the same whether the lights are on or not.

If we use EL string, we could have cars that have an orange outline (tramline) running all the way around the car rather than lots of discrete marker lights. Similarly, daytime running lights could be more creative than two point lights at the front of the vehicle.

Given the rising cost of most metals and the way that most are prone to corrosion, it is really rather weird that we haven't already gotten further along the process of finding alternative skins for cars - skins that are more resiliant to knocks, scratches and the elements.

Another concept I really like is the GM Autonomy:
linky

...Because the car is fly by wire, defining a standard connector between the chassis+powerplant and the cabin means that one can simply change cabins as needed (eg sports car for the daily commute, MPV for the weekend).

[manphibian]

I'm afraid the shape and style of cars is becoming less lead by design flair, and more dictated by legislation and government decisions.

Soon all cars will be a very similar shape, you can see it happening now, it's not all the fault of uninspired designers.

There will be no more 6GC shaped cars, the nose is too sharp, the hood too low and the engine too close to the hood to pass new legislation on pedestrian impact criteria.

Sad but true.



Plus on the Headlights, i don't think they will become that small, as that will take away the 'eyes' of the car and the human brain is designed to find facial features attractive.

Cars with no headlights look 'blind' as that concept car does at the start.

[CAMAricer]

Neat...looks like the current Z4 though...

[easternpiro1]

that has to be one of the coolest most innovative things ive seen in my life. but what about impact?

[forkee]

stupid idea

so if someone tries to key your car, they poke a hole and realize its just a huge "skin" so they pull the entire thing off and you get back to your car and its just the frame.

they say it can change shape but like camaricer said, it looks like the z4. theres only so many things it can bend and it fails to look like any other type of car.

the eye headlights look scary unless they make a mouth that moves too, then it would be pretty cool.

its definitely futuristic but i doubt it will ever catch on

[D-Man]

its definitely futuristic but i doubt it will ever catch on

Unfortunetly, this isnt true

It'll never catch on to people who care about cars. To people like most-all members of this site, as well as many others, people who pay attention to every curve, every edge, every single light reflection, We'll never conform as other will.

But the other 95% of the world are sheep. and they will buy anything that you say is new, or cool. Look at some dumb things that were marketed properly, Ipod, Iphone, Tickle me elmo, POGS, Mustangs

People will buy anything you tell them too. I've done sales for years and it's really that simple. People are sheep. They want to stand out in the croud, but they still want to be in a croud

[DEATH]

that has to be one of the coolest most innovative things ive seen in my life. but what about impact?

That's what he was talking about in the first part - all of that can be taken care of with a tubular chassis - the skin actually does very little in the event of a crash [except make pulling the bad parts off a serrious PITA]

They want to stand out in the croud, but they still want to be in a croud

Damn - very well said [except where you spelled croWd wrong ]

[easternpiro1]

that has to be one of the coolest most innovative things ive seen in my life. but what about impact?

That's what he was talking about in the first part - all of that can be taken care of with a tubular chassis - the skin actually does very little in the event of a crash [except make pulling the bad parts off a serrious PITA]

They want to stand out in the croud, but they still want to be in a croud

Damn - very well said [except where you spelled croWd wrong ]

nice!

[forkee]

its definitely futuristic but i doubt it will ever catch on

Unfortunetly, this isnt true

It'll never catch on to people who care about cars. To people like most-all members of this site, as well as many others, people who pay attention to every curve, every edge, every single light reflection, We'll never conform as other will.

But the other 95% of the world are sheep. and they will buy anything that you say is new, or cool. Look at some dumb things that were marketed properly, Ipod, Iphone, Tickle me elmo, POGS, Mustangs

People will buy anything you tell them too. I've done sales for years and it's really that simple. People are sheep. They want to stand out in the croud, but they still want to be in a croud

now now, dont be doggin on my iphone. say something like the razr, or blackberry, or the very aged sidekick, hell even the boost mobile phones. now those have been marketed properly and have made millions off a product that is simple other than being thin/ has a lot of buttons/ or makes an annoying chirp. i agree the ipod is a cult product which is simple yet demands brand loyalty, but like i said before, the iphone is far from just being all marketing. and its not that im brand loyal, its the first apple product ive ever bought.

but i do agree on everything else u said

[D-Man]

^^ Agreed ^^

But I-stuff was just one of the first name's to pop in my head. Yes, Boost mobile is deff ontop of their marketing game. Their phones are crap from what i hear, but the guys that say that; still have em!! Always runnin arround like "Boost B!tch"

The whole time i'm lookin at em like:


Marketing; it's the heards the sheep

This post has been edited by D-Man: Jun 13, 2008 - 12:16 PM

[laff09]

Another good example (and kinda hinted at with the video) - car headlights are the size and shape they are because of the high temperature tungsten bulbs we have used in the past. If we use LED lights, the headlights can be 5mm slits in an otherwise unbroken bodywork. We can return to the lines of 1980s/1990s cars such as the 5th gen. Celica but where the lines stay the same whether the lights are on or not.

LEDs for headlights?? good luck inventing an LED to project like a real headlight. First off, they would blind the crap out of anyone coming the other way, second I have a feeling it will be like those uber LED "Flashlights" that are about as useful as sand in afghanistan. Not tryna be a nay-sayer, but I just don't think it is a linear improvement in lighting performance/design flexibility.

[D-Man]

yeah, unless they made a really BIG LED and stuck it into a projector... but that completely defeats the purpose, yeah?

I haven't heard this video with sound yet, so what is that material made of? Kevlar? Instead of egging someones car, you could rub Fiberglass resin w/ hardener all over the door hinge and then the doors would be f'ed. Instead of a body shope, you'd have to take it to a seamstress and how would you wash that? If you get soap on a convert top and dont get it washed out completely, it spots the top... How would you wash this thing? And What about bird-doo (Honestly) it's a PITA to get off of the fabric... I really do not think this is a practical idea... There are any number of spills that would ruin the whole thing... then what would a new skin cost?$1000(+) easily... I mean, it's a few hundred just for a new rag top, much less a rag-car

Sorry... just not a cool idea...