Click to enlarge.
Okay, so here’s the novel take of the week. According to reports, a venture company in Japan called Humanix will introduce an electric vehicle that wears airbags. On the outside.
The Hiroshima-based company, which utilises research results from Hiroshima University and builds items such as the Cellomics Tip for use in live single cell mass spectometry applications, among others, is now set to introduce the iSAVE-SC1, an electric tricar covered with soft cloth containing shock-absorbing airbags.
Click to enlarge.
The three-wheel prototype has inflated airbags at the front and rear, and the body is covered with tent cloth. In the event of a collision, air is released from the bags to cushion the impact.
It plans to sell about 100 units of the vehicle, which seats three, from late November to March 2012, at a cost of around 790,000 yen each. The vehicles will be used for monitoring purposes, before mass production begins in April or later next year. The production version should have a complete wrap-around airbagged body as in the sketch, presumably.
Click to enlarge.
”Think of the car as wearing clothes, which is something found nowhere else in the world,” said Tsutomu Masujima, Humanix president, who is also professor at the university’s graduate school. ”I used to wonder why the surface of a car is made of metal. Through my study of biology, I noticed that living creatures are naturally soft. I began developing the car based on this idea,” he told reporters.
The maximum speed of the iSAVE-SC1 is 50 km/h, and the vehicle can be charged at home via a 100 volt power supply. The company says that vehicle will be cheap to run, at a fifth to a tenth of a gasoline vehicle’s maintenance costs, though no mention was made about the cost of replacement airbags.
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Japanese are out of ideas these days.
haha.. no need too serious on it.. =)
air released from the bags to make the car “float” too during flood..
why not ? accident also no need so headache la… lessen the risk of injury and save on “ma-kat”, lighter car, smaller engine, better fuel efficient, better emission. Eventually become bumper car on the road, sounds fun too though! :)
this is a good idea ok
You are too kind, this thing is so ugly, its mother would dis-own it. I mean, just look at that sketch!!! How much did they pay the kindergarten kid for this drawing? Probably gave him some sushi and that’s it.
i think Zen is mentioning bout the ideas behind, who else dunno the design is like a piece of inflatable bed? design is shit, but the idea might be something different in the future.
cant they put airbags on motorcycles?
Try Honda Gold Wing. They have one. :D
Woou…, I see a remake/upgrade of Mr. Bean rival car. hahahahaha. I would like to see how Mr. Bean take this one out with his mini.
very good idea, make sense because the airbag outside would protect the precious item inside which is the driver.
collision between two cars is like a pillow hitting another pillow!
The frame/skeleton ought to be strong. The airbags material ought to be good, not easy to pierce and has some degree of elasticity.
Good idea! After an accident you don’t have to go to the car repair shop but to the tailor. Just put a patch on it and the job is finished.
UGLY!!!!! But a good effort all round. Nothing beats a beautifully sculptured, sensuous body of sheet metal!!
So this thing must have fur
Looks like a car from Flintstones
one idea.. get a creatif can make it better…
can I take out those “bags” to the kedai dobi to wash ? can save cost on car polish and paint job…. ohh can replace with spongebob cartoon or hello kitty one… or pikachu also not bad…..ohh yeah it gets very dirty when running on a wet muddy road……
This is actually Protong Juara Mark II.
why suddenly Proton?
Mommy, I also want to be a car designer. Look at that photo, like my drawing on the fridge only.
if u have cat at home..u finish.