Arsis Concept - Do you ever imagine what it would look like decades from now? Just imagining the technological advancements we will experience in the future gives us a whole new look at our world. At the same time, it will evidently change the lifestyle of the people in our society. This exact thought process of Aurélien Blondel, a Parisian industrial designer, developed a new AI-controlled vehicle (Arsis) of the future which aims at invoking physical stimulations.

Introduction

Arsis concept aims at the year 2050 inside a dystopian context where urban population growth and increasing dependence on new technologies have revolutionized the world making it more autonomous with the use of newer machinery. Namely, the physically draining activities such as transportation would become completely Human-Free as self-driving cars and AI technology will develop so widely that the margin of error of these machines would become close to 99.99%. 

As a result, the physical activities of people will drastically diminish causing them to adapt into newer forms of physical activities which will stimulate, help to learn and above all be a fun thing to do.

Design

To design this physical fitness experience, it was crucial to design this in a virtual environment of application and not just some smartphone activity leading to choosing Freeletics for the fitness experience and Roborace for the design of the vehicle. By creating a vehicle with A.I. integration creating a possibility of the player being startled when the vehicle itself makes driving decisions without informing him/her.

To do this,  Blondel has imagined an experiment in 2 stages.  Firstly, a video game time to apprehend the universe and capture the user. During these first hours of game, the user will earn virtual coins that will allow them to buy new accessories such as their first helmet. This first helmet is necessary for the first race.

The Arsis concept has been designed not to start if the player does not wear the helmet. Also, these accessories will make him/her recognizable to their peers the same way that a Fortnite player is perceived as a seasoned player or a rookie. And then, a real and necessary race to access the next levels. The player will have to prepare themselves physically with warm-ups that the game will advise them. During this time, the vehicle drives to the player's home in autonomous mode.

The Ultimate Race

The Arsis concept has been designed not to start if the player does not wear the helmet. Also, these accessories will make him/her recognizable to their peers the same way that a Fortnite player is perceived as a seasoned player or a rookie. And then, a real and necessary race to access the next levels. The player will have to prepare themselves physically with warm-ups that the game will advise them. During this time, the vehicle drives to the player's home in autonomous mode.

Finally, the time of the race will come. The player has to identify himself on the vehicle before it opens the front trunk to access the controller holder and the later connection support. Then finally during the race, the player will be forced to collaborate with the vehicle's artificial intelligence, which will guarantee his/her safety (speed limit of 70km/h, emergency braking, getting back on the right track, etc.). At the end of the race, the player will be taken to a gathering of all the players where they will have the opportunity to create a real link, to exchange on the race experience and/or to create teams.

Design Details

The current description of Arsis deems it to have some unique specifics to cater the riding experience given in it. The vehicle is not equipped with any means of controlling it, so the steering which is connected to the brackets provided for this purpose is manipulated from front to back to steer it. The vehicle recharges by induction from the chassis, while the seat has been designed so it could be protected from unscrupulous users and also removable in case it has been damaged. 

When the vehicle drives you to the race the player sits normally and straight, and when the race starts they're allowed to change his/her position to be more involved in the race spirit (by the way it stimulates them). The vehicle is available with a basic livery but the bodywork is made of photonic crystals allowing it to change its appearance like a chameleon.

Hearing about this concept is existing enough to look forward to an autonomous future where all the tedious and hard-working tasks become menial work for machines. At the same time, the people can enjoy and be more creative in their respective interested fields.

About Designer

Aurélien Blondel lives in Paris and has studied automotive design at Strate School of Design. As a child, before learning to create by drawing, he luckily worked with his grandfather, an engineer who had worked on several technical projects. This way, he learned to design a product with technical elements before sketching it. He has always been interested in the transportation and luxury industry. After a high school degree in economic and social science, he joined Strate, a design school renowned for its transportation department. The first two years allowed him to discover the various fields of industrial design before specializing in mobility in his third year.