There is a constant demand for a supply of innovative ideas that can respond to the world’s most pressing problems. Environmental challenges, health issues, and economic concerns are being addressed in a variety of ways, but for a true response to flourish requires an alliance of diverse creative minds with extraordinary vision.
Hyundai is adopting a new approach to innovation that seeks to harness the power of nature to obtain information for future mobility and, as the brand’s slogan in Venezuela states, “to connect with tomorrow.”
In partnership with the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Hyundai has created a new model for research. This collaboration seeks to harvest the best innovative thinking, harnessing the survival instincts of nature’s toughest creatures, such as the cockroach.
After conducting a case study, the textile design team developed a ‘mobile shelter’ prototype with an exoskeleton to mimic the incredible strength of the cockroach’s outer surface, with an internal woven structure that can absorb shock and regain its original form.
Studies of the cockroach exoskeleton plate have opened up a number of potential opportunities for innovation, and additional studies on how nature copes with change and also provides numerous platforms to explore.
Learning from nature
Another fascinating part of the study was exploring how noise is used and interpreted in nature and has revealed opportunities for innovations in electric vehicles.
The sound design team focused its research around the concept “Making the unheard br heard” and studied the transmission of signals between animals to avoid impact, which inspired the team to develop sonic experiences that can be integrated into future transportation ecosystems.
Creating sounds for the quiet vehicles of the future means that there will be many developments to come for electric vehicles and urban air mobility solutions.
This partnership has been managed remotely with both RISD and Hyundai’s Design Innovation Task Force. Thanks to Hyundai’s commitment to exploring the future and the resources provided by RISD, this remote collaboration allowed students and teachers to virtually brainstorm ideas to help create a brighter and more innovative future.
“This first-of-its-kind research collaboration between RISD and Hyundai brings to life the notion that when we fuse different bodies of knowledge in the right environment, true innovation flourishes,” said RISD President Rosanne Somerson.
Through the creative design process, Hyundai and RISD took advantage of how nature copes with change to come up with solutions in four key areas: graphic design, industrial design, sound design and textile design.
“By understanding how nature copes with change, we hope to gain new inspiration that can lead to the development of sustainable processes, next-generation technologies and innovative designs for the future of mobility,” said SangYup Lee, senior vice president and director of the Center of Hyundai Global Design.
Hyundai’s involvement in the active study of nature through various projects continues, including projects such as the Hyundai Nature Observation project led by the Design Innovation Group. With more initiatives like this, Hyundai hopes to discover what the real future of sustainable mobility can look like and connect you with tomorrow.
Source: Taken from DobleLlave
