Toyota
has unveiled a concept car at this year's SAE International convention that was
designed by student's at Clemson University. The car, called a uBox, was part
of a two year project at Clemson called Deep Orange designed to give
engineering students an immersive experience. The car was completely designed,
engineered and hand built by grad students learning from both professors at the
university and experts from Toyota.
The
design goal for the uBox, was to come up with a novel car
design that would fit the needs of the next generation of car buyers—Gen-Z, who
Toyota believes are more likely to be entrepreneurial and independent. That
meant the students had to engage in the entire development process, from
identifying the likely needs of future car buyers, to coming up with ways to
address those needs in new ways. The car, which looks like a cross between a
military overland vehicle and a sporty Jeep, has several unique features,
starting with how it looks.
The
forward design was meant to convey momentum, and in that the team has
succeeded—the car looks different from anything else on the road. Also on the
list was customization capabilities that would allow for more versatility. To
address that need, the team put the passenger seats on rails to allow for them
to be removed or to be turned to be used as desks. The dash was also built in
such a way as to allow for adding or removing different dials, gauges or even
devices. The car also has built in vents, bezels and door trim that can also be
customized, and in a nod to the future, made with a 3D printer. Also
interesting is the power-train—it is all electric and provides, the team
reports, not just a fun driving experience but an ability to plug in all sorts
of equipment, from power tools to an external sound system, all courtesy of
110-volt sockets.
Toyota
execs at the unveiling also noted that the team came up with a unique
pultrusion technique that allows for using carbon fiber rails that were bonded
with aluminum to support the curved glass roof—an industry first and an example
of the kind of innovation that can come about when college students
are allowed to become part of the design and engineering process.
http://techxplore.com/news/2016-04-college-students-toyota-car-gen-z.html
No comments:
Post a Comment