NIO Horizon : Future autonomous flight experience

Abstract: What if future air travel was highly sustainable and appealing? What if you could hop from building rooftop to rooftop or better, from a city to an island without the worries of ground congestion and gridlocks? And how would it look like if NIO decided to take this opportunity and broaden their product offerings? These were some of the initial question that guided the project towards a mode of mobility which is new and challenging to realise. Admittedly It was also exciting to imagine what would future of autonomy look like in something other that a car and to see if A.I. driven technologies and fresh architecture ideas could enhance this experience. And remove the safety and social acceptance stigmas from this type of mobility. Furthermore to see how the design would be influenced by specific target user group & their needs. From Post-it ideation to Alias mock-up and Virtual reality software to validate  ideas, the process saw use of several tools. Initial  stage included several basic  CAS layout  proposals which  allowed for  fresh  ideas which were translated into detailed sketches on paper and in Photoshop.  Two loops of mid-level detailed CAS were generated  and then  through  combination of both, and  additional  analogue  material  the  final  loop  of  Alias was completed and then  handed to  In-house  CAS team  for  refinement  and  physical  prototyping  support. Throughout  the  process there were several check  points with the mentor, interior  director  &  university tutors which gave valuable input & direction to the project. The  final  outcome  is  a  Vertical  take  off  landing  vehicle which shows a holistic idea of how future NIO products could  look  like.  A  small  fleet  and  a  shared  model make this realistic and accessible mode  of  mobility. Passengers  are  welcomed  to  a NIO  house  which  also acts as a sky-deck  for  the  vehicle. Open  interior  layout of  the  vehicle  poses unique  and  exciting  possibilities for  either  enjoying  personal  time  or  a  dialogue  during the journey. Key functions such as ambient air, music or photo-chromatic  glass can  be activated by interacting with  the  two  A.I.  units  placed on  top  of  each  seating zone.  Use of recycled & vegan materials and lightweight construction  of the seats allow for  a bigger surface area but optimized weight. The overall welcoming gesture of the  interior  space aims for  attracting  a wide group of passengers.