Some explanation from Edwin :
The exterior desing of the car is inspired by the form of fabric blown in the wind. The form also carries traces of the historical Auto Union Type C Streamline race.

There are no conventional doors on the car, but instead, inspired by the jet fighters, there are three glass canopies. The main canopy opens forward together with the steering wheel and the dashboard; the two passengers’ canopies open backwards; and a side panel on the bodywork opens downwards to act as a step, making the event of getting in and out of the cockpit very special and easy.

The interior is simply one continuous sheet, starting from the dashboard, then being folded and bended to create floor carpet and seat.

The interior of the car is as simple and futuristic as the exterior. Single sheet transparent LCD dashboard displays all the essential data such as speed and mileage. The screen in the center of the steering wheel displays digital map. The information can also be projected on the canopy by a head up display. The
whole driving experience would be like flying a fighter jet. There is a small but handy luggage space behind the driver seat for handbags and suitcases. It is also an arm rest for the passengers.

Four wheels are housed inside the car’s four “legs”. Each wheel contains an Audi In-wheel Electric Drive Unit, making the car an evolution in Audi’s trademark “Quattro” all time four-wheel-drive system. The long range Supercharge-ion battery which powers the in-wheel motors are separated into two packs located in front of as well as behind the cockpit, creating a perfect 50:50 weight distribution of the car for excellent handling.

Specifications:
Length: 4480 mm
Width: 1900 mm
Height: 1060 mm
Wheel base; 3048 mm
Weight: 800 kg
En Engine: 4 Audi In-wheel Electric Drive Units
Power: 544 hp (4 X 100 kW)
Torque: 4500 Nm (3319.03 lb-ft)
0-100km: 2.9 s
Top Speed: 360 km/h

Designer : Edwin Conan

For its occupants, the open bodywork of the car represents highly practical solution for urban mobility through a turning required circle of only three meters and a footprint hardly larger than that of a scooter. The wheel provides easy and agile handling that ensures rarely getting stuck in the traffic, while the low center of gravity of this four-wheeler provide excellent stability.

A completely unique feature of this car is its octagonal wheel fairings that entirely cover the tires. This innovative design creates a pleasing and harmonious feeling along with its pearl-white and blue hub caps, where no one can see the wheel rotating any longer. Instead, the movements of the hub caps are only being seen, giving a silent and graceful gliding appearance along the road.

The Twizy Z.E. concept car is powered by a 20hp (15kW) electric motor that can develop 70Nm of torque, combining comfort with reactive performance at any engine speeds. It can accelerate like a 125cc bike and pulls away quickly from standstill. The car features a 75kph of top speed which may not seem a big number, but since it is designed to be used in busy traffic, it still is a fast car while cutting the traffic easily.

Designer : Renault

The E-bike has been designed with airless tires, robust tubular construction and shaft drive, ensuring durability, while the luminated front bar and dazzling graphics increase the visibility and safety for the rider. E-bikes have designed to be folded quickly and intuitively by the user and deposit it into the storage modules after arriving to a transit hub. RFID technology has been utilized to charge the users on their Oystercard according to the amount of E-bike rental time. When docked, E-bikes act as hub seating and get charged for the next renter.

Transit hubs optimize the traveler’s transitional experience between renting bike schedule called Bikeshare and boarding on a bus. The hubs provide real time transit schedule by allowing access to the Bikeshare. The Ionic modular design provides the concept with distinctive architectural identifiers all through the cityspace, increasing both the desirability and visibility of city public transit. During the time passengers board on a bus, its ultracapacitors get charged until next stop via a small arm extended from the hub. The busses collect and disperse E-bikes according to demand, effectively diminishing the need of third party distributors.

The electrical modular buses aim to optimize the needs of next generation commuters by providing ultimate convenience for public transit. The specialized interior space addresses the diverse needs of passengers. The compact and ergonomically bended seating arrangement provides a safer environment for seat occupiers and the standing passengers downstairs for short distant travel. On the other hand, long-distance travelers and tourists will be able to enjoy the city from panoramic second floor.

Designer : Gabriel Wartofsky

Interview with Nico :

What was the inspiration for your concept?
The inspiration was the experimental approach to molecular cooking. Even after several decades of molecular cuisine, it still seems to be an exclusive game for specialists. So it became my main goal to bring some of the fantastic possibilities and ideas of molecular cooking to all ambitious cooks with an easy to use, affordable appliance.

How does your concept fit into this year’s competition theme “Designs for the next 90 years”?
I think the idea of molecular cooking is forward-looking, but the procedures and methods of preparing molecular dishes are still conventional. I would like to change this with my concept. At first, the idea of printing food seems to be something straight out of a science-fiction movie, but on second thought it is not unrealistic at all. I even think that Moléculaire could be the future kitchen tool that opens up possibilities for food-makers interested in molecular cooking.

What are the main consumer benefits of your concept?
Moléculaire is a futuristic kitchen appliance that offers several new possibilities to professional chefs as well as home users. It’s based on a layer-by-layer printing technique that arranges small particles from a set of ingredients. Within minutes, it prints out three-dimensional desserts, complex structures, shapes for molecular dishes, and patterns for decorating a meal. In addition, it’s easy to use. You simply insert a blister pack into the reservoir, place Moléculaire on top of a plate, and press the start button. Users can also create their own recipes with special software and their own ingredients. Ambitious users can download recipes and share them with other users in an online community.

Describe the consumer research behind your concept.
I conducted interviews with chefs and did a lot of research on the Internet. These approaches helped me to understand users’ interests, concerns, wishes, needs and desires. The outcome shaped my initial ideas and helped them grow. The most difficult thing about designing for the future is predicting the possible social and technological developments (their direction and speed). Therefore, it was very useful to read reports like sociological studies about cooking and future scenarios about the development of new technologies.

What kind of materials would you use to build your concept?
For my concept, I would use polycarbonate as the main material. I plan on applying this material in three different variations, each providing the right characteristics for the different parts of my design. Transparent polycarbonate can be used for the window, black tinted for the lid/display, and white for the body. The robotic printer arm and head could be made from aluminum. A blue (O)LED backlight accentuates the processes inside the printer.

Who is your favorite designer?
I don‘t have a favorite designer.

What are your career goals?
After I graduate in 2010, I want to gain more professional experience in a product-design company. In the long term, I want to further develop my conceptual and strategic skills and step into product-related design management.

Designer : Nico Kläber

Text from designer:
Most of what we perceive is through sight and sound. The senses of touch, taste, and smell are secondary. Up until now we have consumed food mainly with our eyes. Visually challenged people have proven that we have the capacity to develop other senses to a greater extent… but do we truly need to lack a sense before we’ll put the others to greater use?

SENSE! is a set of tableware objects that challenges you to use ALL your senses and no longer ‘eat with your eyes’ only. SENSE! is a set of Scent Flowers, Hot Stone Plates, Palate Cleansers and a Hot Ice Tea Ceremony. The designs make you aware of your secondary sensory capabilities. They are surprising, fun to use and magical… turning an ordinary meal into an extraordinary experience.

Hot Ice Tea Ceremony
The table and tea set are both part of a modern tea serving ceremony. Placing the tea carafe on the table will set of the crystallization of the ‘Hot Ice’ that will run through the tabletop into the double walled tea glasses. Do not trust your eyes… the ice is hot!

Hot Stone Plates
The porcelain plates with inlaid warm basalt stones heated in stock or oil allow for slower and therefore healthier dining.

Palate Cleansers
The palate cleansers create a desirable break in the dining scenario. Sit back, relax and enjoy sipping the mint vapour, which cleanses you palate but does not fill your stomach.

Scent Flowers
The scent flowers can release a specific scent to accompany a dish. Do we actually need to swallow all ingredients to have the perception of eating them, or can we eat with our noses?

Despite the relatively modest size of the yacht, it houses three cabins – a comprehensive master cabin, a double cabin and a twin cabin, each with own private bathroom. The F-560 comprises two MAN V8-900 engines and has a top speed of 32 knots.

Designer : Ferretti Yachts

The 4 hydraulic legs of Landstorm can move independently and are providing great functionality by navigating over tremendously difficult terrain and raising itself up to reach the target. The use of these hydraulic drive-train attached with several powerful electric motors and powered by hydrogen fuel cell, have made the vehicle lightweight by removing the mechanical parts to impel the wheels. Moreover, it can be airdropped when the destination is far from the closest depot and then continue to reach the target on land.

The wheels of Landstorm are uniquely designed that feature small pods, allowing more grip on surfaces like loose dirt, mud or snow by increasing to compress surface area or just by using the edges to grip onto the surface. These are not just wheels, they feature a grapple gun or hook winch that lets the vehicle drag heavy debris or towing a standard vehicle. Once the Landstorm reaches the destination, the team will start rescuing and treating the survivors for emergency injuries.

The driver and navigator of Landstorm will have no problem finding out how far the destination is and how to get there by using the state of the art HUD technology along with a built in MultiSight camera (Infra Red, Night Vision and Cold Vision) powered with an advanced Computer AI. The heads up display features the most interactive information system which is controlled by the user’s neural patterns, which means, the information is controlled by the users thoughts. The rest of the cabin remains free for storage compartments for various equipments. There is a small backup unit that will start working if the main power source fails for any reason.

Designer : Peter Spriggs

BeoTime can make every morning an enjoyable one with its discreet own chime or customizable wake up sounds from your favorite radio station, TV program or a piece of music and can be switched off at a preset time when you are leaving the house. It also includes a built-in sleep timer which is able to switch all the Bang & Olufsen apparatuses in the room to standby mode after a chosen time interval of up to 120 minutes. This feature is very much convenient for those who want to stay up late to watch TV, or fall asleep with a preferred music without worrying about turning off the music. Aside from the alarm and sleep timer features, you can use this gadget for basic functions of the bedroom loudspeaker, television or light control.

The ease of handling and operating of BeoTime is really noteworthy; you can hold it in one hand and can operate it with your thumb. The built-in tilt sensor shows the information and button functions modify orientation as per the BeoTime is held by the user.

BeoTime is a magnificently polished and anodized aluminum tube, with a trumpet-shaped button that protrudes from one end when you will activate the alarm by pressing it. The tube’s other end comprises a cover that conceals the battery chamber for three batteries that can last around one year. Two rubber feet ensure steady footing to BeoTime when lying on the table and the almost unseen magnetic wall brackets are used to mount it on the wall. The square navigation button along with three separate displays with dark text on a vivid background performs the navigation when setting the alarm time.

From : Bang and Olufsen via Dvice

From the website:
JS BACH / ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS CHAMBER MUSIC HALL AT MANCHESTER ART GALLERY FOR MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL.Zaha Hadid Architects have created a unique chamber music hall specially designed to house solo performances of the exquisite music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

A voluminous ribbon swirls within the room, carving out a spatial and visual response to the intricate relationships of Bach’s harmonies. As the ribbon careens above the performer, cascades into the ground and wraps around the audience, the original room as a box is sculpted into fluid spaces swelling, merging, and slipping through one another.

“The design enhances the multiplicity of Bach’s work through a coherent integration of formal and structural logic. A single continuous ribbon of fabric swirls around itself, creating layered spaces to cocoon the performers and audience with in an intimate fluid space.” said Hadid.The process of realizing the design involved architectural considerations of scale, structure and acoustics to develop a dynamic formal dialogue inseparable from its intended purpose as an intimate chamber music hall.

A layering of spaces and functions is achieved through the ribbon wrapping around itself, alternately compressing to the size of a handrail then stretching to enclose the full height of the room. Circulatory and visual connections are continually discovered as one passes through the multiple layers of space delineated by the ribbon.

The ribbon itself consists of a translucent fabric membrane articulated by an internal steel structure suspended from the ceiling. The surface of the fabric shell undulates in a constant but changing rhythm as it is stretched over the internal structure.It varies between the highly tensioned skin on the exterior of the ribbon and the soft billowing effect of the same fabric on the interior of the ribbon. Clear acrylic acoustic panels are suspended above the stage to reflect and disperse the sound, while remaining visually imperceptible within the fabric membrane.

Programmed lighting and a series of dispersed musical recordings activate the spaces between the ribbon outside of performance times. The installation is designed to be transportable and re-installed in other similar venues.

Pivotal to its function is the performance of the ribbon. It has been designed to simultaneously enhance the acoustic experience of the concert while spatially defining a stage, an intimate enclosure, and passageways. It exists at a scale in which it is perceived as both an object floating in a room as well as a temporal architecture that invites one to enter, inhabit and explore.

Designer : Zaha Hadid Architects via Dezeen

Rotating arms have been used in order to keep the seats level for both vertical and horizontal drive. When the vehicle is in balcony mode, the seats are positioned on a rolling base which allows them to become lounge chair for lying down and relax. The exterior design of this car never seems like a car that is mounted vertically with a building but still it looks like a vehicle on the road. The wheels are hidden towards inside and doors are designed to rotate closely around the car, instead of the usual pulling out or sliding up doors, allowing the entrance to freely open in narrow area like a garage.

Designer : Roman Mistiuk