‘THE FUTURE OF DRIVING 1m 2008 a French journalist from ‘Auto Plus magazine was arrested for publishing photos of an unreleased Renault Mégane. An Internet search for the medel raises the question of why anyone would be remotely interested in obtaining photos ofthis unremark able five-deor. But inthe industry even the slightest shiftin taillight design Is guarded ikea state secret, and rabid Journalists and enthusiasts do their ‘utmost to detail every miniscule move the automakers mate. ‘The irony is that despite al the pomp land circumstance, cars have changed relatively litle over the course of the last century—most of us ar stil stuck behind the steering wheel ofa gas: guzzling combustion engine-driven ride. This latency in product devel ‘opment is exactly what inspired San Francisco-based designers Mike and Maaike (Californian Mike Simonian ‘and Dutch Masike Evers)to vansport themselves to the year 2040 and imagine what driving could become without, well, driving “The discussion lately has be focused on what's under the hood.” Simonian says, "but that's not some- thing that is necessarily going to change cars” Instead the pair looked 10 emerging technologies—like GPS devices, active cruise control, and even social networking—to devise a novel form of transportation centered on quality living and facilitating new expe- riences, without steering or having to observe traffidl@ws, "We thought that atthe point when people trust these cars enough that they dont need handheld control would be when cars would begin a look completely dif ferent. So rather than building a car around the idea of a driver, we built itaround all of the passengers.” Not surprisingly, Mike and Maaike's ATNMIBL (short for Autonomobile) takes many ofits cues from their design experience in the world of furniture (note the resemblance of the interior to the pair's Mute chair) and technology {the cars navigation isan extension cf the kind of functionality found on» story by Sam Grawe 42 Declan 2010 Somenhare between Knight Riders KITT 2nd your livingroom ves ATNMEL, Mike snd Mavte's concept for a divers cr. Dwell‘THE FUTURE OF DRIVING Meet ATNMBL A aagette peers solax-penel assist 2. Living-zo0m-atyle seating for seven; electric poner storage sndernesth seats 2, priverless navigation 4. optional sereen for Aisplaying memos, naps, and entertainment 5. MlectsLe-powezed notor within each wheel their G1 Android phone). The result is akin toa souped-up Zaha Hadid living room on wheels that behaves like a really smart iPhone. Because the ATNMBL would utilize ‘our present infrastructure and share the road with piloted vehicles, Mike and Meaiko kept the scale similar to today’s autos—but that’s where the similarities end." inspiration, because ifyou change from ‘a speed-driven, manually operated object to something that’s essentially living space, the question of propor tions will become much more of an architectural experience,” says Evers Indeed, floorto-celing windows, wrap: around modular sectional, sleek coffee table, and pop-up flat screen reads ‘more like a listing for an upmarket condo than a want ad for a new ride. 0 how does it work? “I's all voice controlled” says Simonian. "It will be very natural, as if you stepped into a cab and the cab driver was someone who knew you." Imagine ATNMBL storing directions like we store contacts in our phones, or easily being redi rected after an onboard search for @ last-minute movie listing or late-night Indian restaurant. Mike and Maaike ‘even imagine downloading different driver profiles, other people's road ‘rips, and, most intriguingly,a sort of Facebook meete-ride-share program. fe looked at architecture for "When your car drops you aff at work” Simonian explains, “it can actually go out and rent itself to other people within your trusted network” It’ lke a pool,” Evers expounds, *s0 as you're lending out your car into the system, you're able to make mon- ey, whereas ifyou enter the system to ride, you pay a couple bucks” Part of what makes ATNMBL unique is that the clients were Mike and Maaike themselves. After working for larger fiems, the pair decided that when they ‘aunched their own studio they would allot a cartain amount of time to self: motivated projects such as ths. Itkeeps their thinking nimble and ‘eventually pays for itself by helping win new business down the 70ad. "There have been some interesting reactions,” says Simonian. "Gearheads see this as a big threat, while to other people the end of driving is ike the fend of washing dishes.” “Its important that people start talk ing about what they really want from cars or transportation,” Evers asserts, "if we keep getting alittle more styling It doesn't realy take us anywhere new. We wanted to str up excitement and passion, which is why we deliberately did some things that are controversial” Given the current state of the auto industry, excitement and passion could bbe just what cars and drivers need, We Mike and Macite's design goes far beyond, styling to create an eniely new concept fortransporttion~inluding an operating system and lvng-room-like interior, 444° Decjlan 2010 ‘The pair deliberately forewent windows inthe front and back ofthe veicle to aceon ‘ate the notion of divers driving, @ ‘uel con/eaza04o