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The scenario
The scenario
in 2011, every day, 491 new vehicles were being added on the roads of Mumbai alone. The average occupancy of a car had reduced to 1.8 people per car. At the same time, people preferred the car due to rising levels of pollution.
in 2011, every day, 491 new vehicles were being added on the roads of Mumbai alone. The average occupancy of a car had reduced to 1.8 people per car. At the same time, people preferred the car due to rising levels of pollution.
Solution
Solution
Amoeba, a space adaptable vehicle was an attempt to solve these problems together. It can run in three modes, namely, Personal Mobility Vehicle, Microcar and a family car mode. From personal mode, it can shift its rear portion to make space for another person and turns into a microcar, a two-seat tandem sitting vehicle. It can also expand sideways and make space for two more people and turns into a family car or a car for four people. Essentially it is a personal vehicle with 300% hidden space.
Fitted with Omniwheels makes the vehicle suitable for city rides. Freedom of lateral sideways movement makes it easy to park the vehicle in tight spaces. The vehicle runs on a series hybrid mode. This power source is comprised of the main battery and an air engine as a range extender.
The folded and unfolded configurations of the vehicle shown side by side. Left side configuration holds 4 people, right hand side configuration is a personal vehicle with a minimal footprint.
Back seat folded, side seats collapsed
Side seats collapsed, back seat opened and functional
All seats opened for seating
While designing the seat configuration, a new approach was taken. the seats will be made with elastic bands, which will be heavy-duty when the pressure is the most, while the rigidity will go on reducing as we approach the edge of the seat to allow free movement of legs. These elastic bands also enable the seats to be compressed horizontally when not in use.
The effort was to make the idle footprint as low as possible. The overall dimensions even in the expanded stage were less than Tata Nano, the smallest 4 seater car in India in 2011. In the PMV configuration, the footprint was estimated to be slightly more than 1.5 times of a standard two-wheeler.
Omniwheel
Omniwheel
Otherwise used in small toys, Omniwheel was chosen as a solution to the parking problems. The wheel can function as the normal wheel that can run around the axis. The rollers on the other hand can allow the lateral movement of the vehicle, without changing the axis of the wheel.
Seating layout (Ergonomics)
Seating layout (Ergonomics)
The overall package, showing the position of 4 people inside the vehicle. This configuration, highly unconventional, utilises the space like a theatre and allows more compact seating
The entire design process and further information about the project is available on D'source, the Design project library curated by IDC SOD, IIT Bombay
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