Flint & Stone Design
Industrial designer
HELIOS
Solar powered public transportation system
Year:
Work:
Members
2019 -2021/ May
SWENSON MOBILITY
Engineering team, SJSU urban design, etc
Helios is an automated pod transportation system. It is powered by a solar panels installed above tracks and can be used to transport a small number of individuals from one station to another without waiting.
Intro
-History of mass transportation
Over the years, mass transport systems such as trains or cars were invented in order to support the rising demand for transportation of people and goods. This system helped the modern civilization to grow and brought prosperity.
Problem
-Overload of population
Over the years, however, society started to grow around the car industry, which started to solved problems around cars. This leads to more road, car accidents, and pollution. Even with public transportation, the lack of support for public transportation also leads to more and more problems.
Solution
-Divide, we ride
Instead of having a single vehicle running on a single track with a massive amount of people, diving people into separate pods may help to send a passenger to destinated spots without having to deal with long wait time, traffic issues, or problem of safety issues.
Testing
-How people ride
Quick mock-up testing has been done to measure the size, capacity, and shape.
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MOOD BOARD
-Stable speed
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Ideation
-Exploring options
Each pod had to carry a certain number of passengers, which also requires calculations in weight and size of the vehicle
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Form Exploration
-Reviewing methods
Narrowing down
-Three main directions
FINAL DESIGN
-Public transport pod system
INTERIOR
-what it looks like inside
bicycle rack has been installed on walls vertically, and seats were made to be foldable to give space for passengers to move in and out.
STATION PLAN
-Where will it be located?
We focused on having stations near the city area, to help reduce traffic and grant easier entrance for the public
Final product
-Introducing Helios
Helios is an transportation pod made for city environment, which passengers can ride to their designated stations.
