Once cars can finally drive themselves, we'll have more time to enjoy the journey and do other, much more interesting, stuff instead. At least that's the concept behind some of the designs below, developed by retail giant IKEA's “future living lab”, SPACE10, based in Copenhagen.
SPACE10 was asked to come up with designs for autonomous vehicles that would be extensions of our homes, offices, and local institutions. Some of the agency's seven ideas, shown below, are almost practical. Who can’t imagine autonomously driven cafés or pop-up stores? In fact, they already exist in California—in the form of self-driving cars that have groceries stocked in their backseats.
Other concepts might need a bit more thought, particularly the ones that SPACE10 envisions delivering resources to under-served communities. It may be difficult, for example, for a self-driving health clinic to bring medical care to truly remote areas. Nevertheless, the designs are useful for sparking conversations about the ways autonomous vehicles could transform everyday life.
Why not turn your entire commute into one long meeting. SPACE10’s Office on Wheels would enable you to not just work during your commute, but also hold group meetings in a mobile version of a conference room.
This café would help people socialize while also getting to where they need to go.
Why not have the farmer's market come to you?
Or just a mini IKEA store?
Makes sleeping in your car seem appealing. SPACE10 imagines us going to be in autonomous vehicles that would be as comfortable as standard hotel rooms.
This tour bus design has windows that display augmented reality images so passengers can learn about their surroundings in a more vivid way.
SPACE10 claims that using self-driving cars to transport medical professionals could make it easier for mobile clinics to visit under-served communities.
