LA 2006 II: Volkswagen Nanospyder Concept

siko

Member
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VW Nanospyder Concept

A team of highly creative Volkswagen designers based in California have unveiled their own unique take on the future of modern transportation.

The result is the Volkswagen Nanospyder. Futuristic nanotechnology supported by hydrogen fuel cells, solar power, wheel-mounted electric motors and inflatable organic body panels combine to form the unusual shape of the two-seater concept.

Nanospyder is the work of a team of three young designers – Patrick Faulwetter, Daniel Simon and Ian Hilton - based at the Volkswagen Design Center in Santa Monica. They created the Nanospyder in response to a challenge laid down by ‘Design Los Angeles’, a conference set to take place at the upcoming Los Angeles Motorshow in November. The brief – unlike the solution – was simple. To design a vehicle able to make the most of California without harming the environment.

The team met its brief by thinking well beyond current manufacturing techniques. According to its creators the Nanospyder would be formed out of a latticework of billions of tiny programmable nano devices measuring less than half a millimetre in diameter. Each of these tiny devices can be programmed to be as strong or weak as required meaning active crumple zones can be created. The ‘spine’ of the vehicle, onto which the rest of the components are attached, remains immensely strong.

Clothing the nano-lattice are panels formed out of a mix of organic materials some of which can inflate to provide further cushioning in the result of an impact. The material doubles as a power source as polysynthesis generates small amounts of electricity. This coupled with hydrogen fuels generates power to drive the tiny electric motors mounted within the hubs of all four wheels.

The Nanospyder, although purely intended as a concept vehicle, gives an insight into the depth of thinking going into the search for sustainable forms of modern transport.

The concept was created to be entered in the third Los Angeles Design challenge – the winner of which will be announced on November 30th at the Los Angeles Motorshow.

The Volkswagen studios, established in 1991, won the very first challenge in 2005 with the innovative Mobile Lounge concept.

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SDNR

Member
Wow, this really is a vision of the future ....it is on the edge of science fact and fiction ....I love that :usa7uh:
 
Very insightful indeed... it sure bridges the gap between reality and fantasy.

Just one question though... do car designers really expect future of cars to look like that ? .. like they were a formula one car? I remember seeing Toyota design a very similar concept car.

Where does the family go?.. :t-hands:
 

MikeJ

Member
Concepts such as this always make me think of those predictions of the future people used to make 50 years ago or so... how some things they imagined have become a reality while others would be technically possible but no one has the desire to actually make them happen (and how some things that we have now simply couldn't even be imagined back then).
 
MikeJ said:
...(and how some things that we have now simply couldn't even be imagined back then).

Yep.. makes you wonder about what's to come...:t-hands:

Do you guys think that we'll experience the same technological growth and innovation in the next 50 years as we have in the past 50 years ?

Just looking at 3 industries: the aircraft industry, the automotive industry and the communications industry. Over the past 50 years there have been HUGE leaps in technology and innovation... do you think the future holds the same rate of innovation as our past has?
 

MikeJ

Member
BeeMer Boi said:
Do you guys think that we'll experience the same technological growth and innovation in the next 50 years as we have in the past 50 years ?

I certainly hope so... and I believe the rate of technological advancement will only increase, unless something unpredictable will put a stop to it.
 

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