The Concept Car That Uses Emoticons For Communication On The Road
Like other aspects of modern culture, automotive transportation continues to evolve with the constant advance of technology. Take a moment to consider what cars could look like in the next few centuries. Maybe cars of the future will end up being dome-shaped, flying vehicles like the ones in the Jetsons cartoon, wheel-less, floating land cars like the landspeeder in the Star Wars movies or even the smart cars from the movie Demolition Man that respond to voice commands. The possibilities for futuristic cars seem endless, considering the depictions we see in film and television and our own imaginations also exist as a limitless design table. Thus, a German designer named Thomas Pinel has recently conceived his own vision for the car of the future.
He calls it the EKON concept car. His idea is to create an automobile that can change shape, change opacity and communicate with drivers through a fingerprint interface. Of course, this car concept is mainly intended for people who live in cities and it would also have the capability to send messages to other drivers and even pedestrians on the street for the purpose of better safety in traffic through visual communication.
Furthermore, this vehicle design concept would use a set of emoticons as a form of visual communication between drivers and pedestrians. Pinel also intends for this communication system to be conveniently located on the driver’s steering wheel for easy accessibility and use. Judging from the pictures, the EKON car concept reminds me of the smart cars from Demolition Man. However, I have to wonder how practical it is to make emoticons the new communication system for the automobile. Would they be replacing car horns and signal lights on a vehicle? Emoticons are arguably less recognizable than car horns and signal lights universally to the common man. As a method of communication, emoticons are not fully proven in effectiveness and that could compromise the future of driver and pedestrian safety on the road.
Tags: EKON car concept, emoticon communication, Thomas Pinel
