Panorama
Autonomous vehicles entering the mainstream will give designers the opportunity to treat car interiors differently. Cars will more and more turn into spaces to be lived and worked in, and the industry is therefore exploring new, rearwards facing seating arrangements and different vehicle packaging.
It’s often forgotten these new arrangements, coupled with a lack of physical control, are very likely to increase the chance of motion sickness. Drivers are a lot less likely to get motion-sick when they sense the connection to vehicle’s movement and know the future trajectory. Panorama aims to re-introduce this sensory input in different ways to ensure comfort and align ones vestibular senses to ones visual input.
These inputs are designed to be unobtrusive, and occupy one’s peripheral vision whilst the user is doing other things such as consuming media. The goal is for the user to subconsciously pick up hints of future movements of the car, and the vehicle’s positioning and balance, to ensure no change of movement is unexpected.
The perforated floor lighting is designed to subtly shift to one side to indicate a change of lanes or other road markings. The lighting under the headrest aims to provide a continuous horizon effect that adjusts to the car’s rolling. The faceted armrest surfaces morph into curved or straight slopes. These slowly approach the user in sequences hinting at upcoming curves and speed bumps respectively, with the goal for the users arm & hands to subconsciously pick up on these cues.
The entire interior cell is suspended inside the car to add an extra layer of ride quality. It is held in place by a curving ‘chassis' to celebrate the elegance of the car’s structural element, which is usually hidden and not directly appreciated.
Besides the open, transparent design philosophy, the car’s non-directional design with a long wheelbase maximizes the interior space, ensuring comfort and an open aesthetic
