Redefining the Future of Mobility
Imagine a future where parking garages are replaced with vertical gardens and cutting-edge tire technology reshapes the city of 2040.
While filled with challenges, 2020 has also given us an opportunity to reflect on new perspective and opportunities to imagine a future of positive change. To that end, we partnered with the creative minds at the Department of Industrial Design at the University of Cincinnati for our bi-annual Design Innovation Project. This year’s theme, “Urban Reshaping,” envisions how mobility, innovation and cutting-edge tires can create new ways of living in 2040.
To achieve such a future, the conventional vehicle platform (four driven wheels, chassis and cabin) gets a complete overhaul. Upon disassembly and examination of independent elements, we came upon an incredible solution: develop an independent powertrain (engine, suspension and wheel assembly) that can be retrofitted to different vehicle structures or “pods” for various living situations.
That, in essence, is the power of the Hankook Platform System (HPS-Cell), which leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous technology to not only redefine personal transport, but the entire notion of urban mobility and sustainability.
Powering the Future of Urban Mobility
To visualize how the HPS-Cell system works, consider the favorite childhood toy, Lego bricks. Just as a Lego set is completely detachable and configurable with some assembly required, so is the HPS-Cell system. However, with the HPS-Cell system, and advanced technology, designers can seamlessly construct any preferred mode of transport.
Designed in pairs of two, the HPS-Cell structure builds on Hankook Mobility Technology (HEM), meaning the platform uses AI to assume the role of driver, mechanic and valet, constantly assessing road conditions and adjusting traction levels as needed. When a tread replacement or adverse weather is detected (ex: snow), the HPS-Cell platform will automatically reroute, dock and substitute an appropriate airless tire at an established service facility in the city of the future.
Efficiency in Innovation
The reason for focusing on urban mobility as the theme for this undertaking is simple, “If you can make it in the city, you can make it anywhere.” As the ultimate proving grounds for any technology, it is in this environment where you determine whether an innovation works as a simple one-off or something that can become an integral part of daily lives.
Take for example your morning commute. Chances are you don’t need a big SUV every day, but rather a smaller personal configuration that provides safe and efficient travel from A-B. Perhaps you also want time to work in the car, bringing new meaning to the idea of a mobile office. Or maybe it’s a Friday afternoon and you want to get out of the city for a weekend with the family. There’s a pod for that too as that mobile office is replaced with a living space for a board (or virtual) game, redefining the road trip ahead.
Further, the HPS-Cell structure enables emissions-free travel. Today, transportation remains the largest source of CO2 emission, and 60% of that stems from passenger vehicles. Realizing a more sustainable transport of the future is critical to our planet’s health and all the more reason to establish that precedent in an urban environment.
Redefining Farm to Table
A major issue in cities is access to fresh produce as farms tend to be located hundreds of miles away. Requiring transportation to urban areas, this process is not only environmentally damaging, but the food itself is subject to nutritional decay with excess volume leading to waste.
With the introduction of autonomy, once-packed parking structures suddenly become vertical indoor gardens throughout the city. Enter the hydroponic garden.
With a more streamlined produce supply chain, we unlock not only a more efficient and sustainable farming system but one that grants better access to fresh food for consumers to shop at their leisure. By combining traditional farming methods with vertical indoor hydroponics, the relationship between farmer and consumer is redefined for the better. Think of it as the ultimate farm-to-table food truck.
Recruiting additional HPS-Cells for support, the larger cargo pod function similar to a traditional 18-wheeler. But instead of transporting fresh food a hundred or, in some cases, thousands of miles from a farm to the city, this pod would collect fresh produce and transport it short distances to centrally located market hubs dispersed across the city.
Conclusion
Turning science-fiction into science-reality doesn’t happen overnight. But by forging strong partnerships with shared goals, that road to the future becomes that much clearer and easier to navigate. With the technology of tomorrow already being developed today, the future of mobility is driven by innovation and cutting edge-edge tire technology. The possibilities are endless when imagination meets engineering. Not to mention, making a grocery run on your lunch break can become that much easier.