This week consisted of making physical models to get a better picture of what’s needed. One suggestion from last week was also the difference in seating layouts when passengers are having long or short journeys. I took to folding paper models and putting them into shoe boxes.

The backrest of the chairs seen here can also fold down to form a table, however the idea proved too implausible because it needed to sacrifice the function and quality of table and chair just to perform both roles. Examples of this included needing thinner than usual cushions to let it fold down, and a smaller than usual surface area when it transforms into a table.

Because of this, the role of transforming furniture for this project is currently limited to their own functional boundaries, for example a side table that doubles as a coffee table.

Peer suggested that control surfaces can be placed behind each seat to allow passengers to interact with the vehicle. However I also suggested that the control surfaces can be the passenger’s own phone instead. This allows them to form a bond with the car’s AI before and after the ride. Should the passenger(s) have no devices, a tablet device is placed on every car’s dashboard to allow communication.

Peer’s suggestion was to now look at how a car can have personality as a driver. He talked about how the feel of every car is different when driven. How can this personality be integrated into a driverless car in the future? In addition, much research is still needed to show how a car AI is able to effectively communicate with passengers, pedestrians and also other drivers on the road.