Brain controlled vechicles

Neuron, the concept car, is an imagination of the consequences of implementing brain machine interface (or brain-computer interfaces, if you prefer that term) technology into the automobile. According to Ian Kettle, designer of Neuron, in the not so far future vehicles will become an extension of the self, that adapt to user needs whilst integrating within their environment seamlessly.


Kettle believes that by 2046 brain-computer interfaces will read all aspects of the users mind and develop much closer relationships between man and machine. If products do start becoming an extension of the self then the need for inbuilt safety systems and redundancies becomes less, allowing objects to lose weight and be stripped back to their core functionality.


Brain-computer interfaces could allow for much lighter cars that use less power to move and be constructed from previously unconsidered materials. All of this because the user is so in tune with their car that they are unlikely to crash and the weight and safety systems we have come to expect have been stripped away, leaving an automobile in its purest form.


In this predicted world, the need for physical interfaces and buttons is removed. If no physical controls are required, no steering wheel and therefore driver’s seat is required. Therefore by extension, no constrained interior architecture is needed and in its place, a freeform interior can exist. Synthetic nylon ‘grass’ strands envelop the users, allowing them to sit wherever they wish and imprinting their forms within the interior space that holds the shape for the duration of the journey.


Kettle also predicts that even in the future public transport will not be able to reach every destination, particularly in the suburbs of Shanghai. This will be where the car flourishes and where Kettle’s product- a flexible, lightweight and low impact vehicle- fits in and becomes a relevant means of transport.