Article: CARS OF THE FUTURE

The other day Pedro and I were driving around and thought it would be a neat idea if there was a car where you could stand up and drive. Our ideas were around countering health issues of sitting down for too long. On long commutes and car trips back pains, leg cramps, and discomfort can begin to take it toll. The corporate office is the first arena where this health improvement has seen changes.  Both of our workplaces have adopted standing desks, ergonomic chairs, medicine ball chairs and other alternatives to combat the health issues of sitting at a desk for long periods of time. I think the car industry could be next to come up with creative ideas for people that want to stand while driving.

The car itself would need to be fundamentally different. The idea of a break and accelerator pedal would probably not exist in this new age car. I found an article about Toyota who has come up with a concept car similar to a Segway that drives based on shifting weight and body motions. Many car companies already have some features built into the steering wheel that lets you set cruise control, increase or decrease the cruise speed, and cancel the cruise control. This concept isn’t too far off from increasing and decreasing general speeds.

Pedro’s perspective coming from the car industry though is these models won’t appeal to car enthusiasts who enjoy the sport of driving. The concepts that allow for standing like the Prague Taxi of the Future are good for commuting or tourism, but are certainly not as aerodynamic as the new models of Teslas and Porsches. I think we’re several concepts out from a working solution, but that means there’s lots of room for innovation.