Mobility design | Mobjects | 2019
Revolutionising Urban Mobility
Mobjects are a mobility service that creates a seamless urban moving experience. You can fluently hop-on and hop-off when the distance gets too far to walk, but too short to use another vehicle.
Closing the mobility gap
Our increasingly complex mobile life is packed with an overlooked range of distances that are slightly too long to walk, but not long enough to take a cab, wait for the bus or rent a bicycle. These odd stretches in-between create considerable gaps in mobility that do not allow us to experience our journeys as fluent as they should be.
It’s a situation that is bound to happen more and more due to some major trends in society. Think about growing populations, urbanization, ageing population, increased multi-modality, zero-threshold standards…
The need to rethink our urban mobility and find ways to ‘close the gaps’ was clear, and we did just that. After several iterations, we defined and deposited in 2016 the Mobject concept.
An autonomous shared EV
A Mobject is an autonomous EV that operates amid people and is therefore designed to move at human speeds, not going faster than 12km/h. Radars, camera’s, sensors and screens are all integrated in a very natural way to ensure an extremely intuitive and permissive operation. The electrical drivetrain guarantees zero emission where it matters the most, while solar panels integrated in the lightweight carbon fibre roof allow Mobjects to charge under the sun.
Tapping into the Smart City
Mobjects can carry dynamic and focused outdoor geo-based advertising that bridges the gap between physical and digital. The economical value of this advertisement allows to operate the Mobjects without customer payments or ticketing. This is essential to allow the seamless use of Mobjects.
If desired, the large vertical screens of a Mobject open up a range of applications that is much wider.
Useful even when parked
Mobjects blend the capacities of a vehicle with the benefits of public furniture and blur the boundaries between both. In fact, at first glance, Mobjects do not appear to be vehicles, as they become part of their environment rather than imposing themselves upon it.
When not in motion, mobjects stimulate and evoke spontaneous use by serving as convenient shelter, bench, hotspot, meeting place, street lantern… Their onboard technology can also be used for security purposes, with the possibility for a two-way surveillance connection.
Enabling walking where needed
In search of more liveability, cities, neighbourhoods and campuses are increasingly banning cars. But due to weather, luggage, or ability, walking is not always a preferred option. As a halfway solution, often a shuttle bus provides in the basic mobility needs. Alas, its appearance and functionality betrays the true spirit of a car-free area and the natural wandering behaviour of pedestrians.
Mobjects are highly suited for the following environments: Pedestrianised city centres, New pedestrian neighbourhoods, Intermodal connection hubs, Airports, Business districts, Business & university campuses, Shopping centres, Large public parks, Cultural sites and many more.
You want to be seen in one!
Mobjects respond positively to human desires and the needs of our surroundings. This means first they are a service and object that people are attracted to, that they love and want to be seen in.
The design of the Mobjects is an expression of this. With a concrete base plate as low as a curbstone, wooden seating and vertical translucent screens and a light horizontal carbon roof they mimic architectural elements of their environments and blend right in. And their stylistic refinement and eye for detail gives them a human touch and a feeling of progress that so often lacks in current AGV systems.
Proven feasibility
Mobjects are engineered based on our production proven automotive engineering capacities. This allowed for the compact packaging and seamless integration of the driverless technology. Sensors, engines, computers and screens are embedded in a Mobject in a very natural way to ensure an extremely intuitive and permissive operation. The electrical drivetrain uses the latest battery technologies and guarantees zero emission where it matters the most.
No Chicken, no egg.
Mobjects do not need a critical mass to function, as is the case with many other mobility solutions. We developed a strategy where a single Mobject could be introduced as a pilot project, and allow it to scale into a full-fledged mobility solution for the entire city. Following the same reasoning, short-term applications can make use of already proven autonomous driving technologies. In time, the technology will allow a free ranging fleet of fully autonomous vehicles whose behaviour mixes seamlessly with that of urban dwellers
Because technology, vehicles, and physical infrastructure evolve at very different speeds, Mobjects rely on soft infrastructure. Digital technology can change with the blink of an eye by a simple upgrade, but changing the streetscape takes quite a bit more time and funds. By making mostly use of what already is at hand, Mobjects avoid that infrastructure becomes obsolete over time.
Our View
Understanding performance requires a deep understanding of the actual use for a vehicle. Even in the inner city, performance is a key element to success, albeit not in terms of aerodynamics or speed, but of user-friendliness, cleanability, and blending in.
Like what you see?
Do you have a specific need or just a curiosity to discover opportunities to cooperate?