GlobalDrive'13 (TUM-NTU-BMW Group) The Lounger

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THE LOUNGER

AN INDIVIDUAL TRANSPORTATION WIRELESS VEHICLE

GLOBALDRIVE PROJECT 2013 (TUM-NTU)

IN COLLABORATION WITH THE BMW GROUP

GlobalDrive 2013 is a joint project between Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Technological University of Munich, Germany; in collaboration with the BMW Group.

The team was given a design brief to develop a vehicle for the future megacities set in the year 2030. Hence the team identified key issues like congestion problems, space limitations and the stressful lifestyles of the busy and hectic lives that people of the future would be likely to face.

The challenge was to build a working prototype within a time period of 8 months and within a given budget of $8000 Euros, which would finally be showcased to professionals from BMW, Audi and Continental as well as students from universities from Germany, Mexico, China and Singapore.

Ideation & Design

Minimal Frame

First and foremost, we were tasked to design a frame that was truly minimal– one that would allow the design to speak for itself without having to be over-powering. This vehicle would be for daily usage, hence it had to be practical yet aesthetically pleasing at the same time.

Design Inspiration

Hence, we sought to design the vehicle with a minimal frame. Using the inspiration from BMW’s trademark feature– the ‘Hofmeister Kink’, we explored various designs based on this feature and hence, it became a strong influene in our designs and finally with our final one which can be seen from the side panels.

In keeping to a minimal frame that encompasses design elements, the frame was extremely lightweight, in a sense in which it does not use traditional vehicular shelling made of iron or metal panels. Hence, the vehicle truly retains the lightweight principle, our group sought out to attain.

Answering Everyday Needs

The Lounger also boasts user-centricity, providing storage and privacy at the same time. The storage compartment is designed to be practical and minimal, creating a seamless look over all yet allowing a wide range of everday items to be stored conveniently.

Vertical Parking

The frame of the vehicle was designed with vertical parking in mind to ease the space constraints in megacities of the future. This meant that the frame of the vehicle would have to support the vehicle when it’s parked against the wall of the driver’s home to save space and allow for convenient parking. Hence using the ‘Hofmiester Kink’ as a basis of inspiration for the design, the frame was modified to enable vertical parking.

Wireless Technology

The vehicle is called The Lounger which the name suggests, allows the driver to enjoy the comfort as if one is lying on a lounge chair and it enables one to drive wirelessly. The possibilities are truly endless with such technology where one can retrieve the vehicle from a distance, provide assistance-driving modes with similarly configured vehicles, program safety features in conjunction with the traffic system etc –easing the burdens of an individual in a future megacity.

All-Wheel Steering

The Lounger boasts 4-wheel drive steering, enabling the vehicle to maneuver through tight spaces and weave through traffic. This allows the vehicle to essentially manouvre itself across lanes quickly and pivot itself on the spot. The steering function also aids in vertical parking, requiring less strength and effort from the user. This would ultimately save much more space while parking as compared to traditional parking– allowing users of The Lounger to park in most small spaces in the modern home where traditional cars cannot.

Final Prototype Exhibited

This was our final prototype of the lounger which was exhibited on site at TUM.

Team Momentum

Group Members:

NTU
Adeline Pratama (Product Design, Final Year)
Mark Sim (Product Design, Final Year)
Arjun (Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor's Thesis)
Randy Ngatimin (Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor's Thesis)

TUM
Christina Frank (Mechincal Engineering, Diploma Thesis)
Ferdinand Neumayer (Engineering & Management, Masters Thesis)
Stefanus Stahl (Engineering Science, Bachelor's Thesis)
Markus Balluf (Automotive Engineering, Bachelor's Thesis)

Supervised By:

Moritz Steffan (TUM)
Jeffrey Hong (NTU)
Yap Fook Fah (NTU)
Ng Heong Wah (NTU)