2013 Galleries

Galleries // 2013 Spark:Concept // The Kinesis

The Kinesis

Winner - Bronze

Competition: Spark:Concept
Designer: Design Team
Design Type: Student Concept, Transportation
Company / Organization / School: Academy of Art University
Team Members: Maxwell Cornell (Contact) See Yang James Parber

The Kinesis breaks new ground in terms of Driver Involvement and Vehicle Showmanship.The Kinesis is a step toward the technological singularity, combining autonomous vehicle technology and wearable electronics, and the latest materials science. The vehicle is an analog sculpture while in its “Display Mode”: it flares its wings and doors. There are no screens, buttons, or other indications of the digital masterpiece that lies beneath. Drivers wear Augmented Reality Glasses that function as a keyless entry system, windshield, and instrument panel. When approaching the Kinesis, the car will “sense” the proximity of the Driver (via the glasses’ location) and will open its doors and wings to welcome the driver. Once seated in the center-drive position, the Driver becomes one with the car, initiating Kinesis. Since the IP is the Driver’s glasses, passengers will experience the vehicle in its analog form. The aesthetics of the vehicle reinforce this driver-centric experience, by drawing one’s eye to the driver’s head and hands, where Kinesis takes place. The structure of the vehicle is Innegra-S, a composite that is markedly stronger, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly than carbon fiber. Kinesis’ most unique feature is “Show Off Mode.” Like launch control, the vehicle can take passengers for a “hot lap” experience that drives the vehicle to its computational limit along the chosen route. A complaint about today’s supercars is their lack of “feel” and “emotion” due to the technology; the Kinesis aims to put the fun back in, in ways that aren’t possible with human input.