Hyundai has revealed a series of sci-fi design ideas as a projection for what transportation might look like in the distant future. The concepts were submitted for an internal global design project called ‘My Baby’, which challenged Hyundai’s designers to use ‘new thinking’ to imagine a future without technological or manufacturing limits.

This biennial project originally started back in 2008 as an internal competition among Hyundai’s designers, with the objective being to increase and enhance designer creativity.

For 2013, the theme for ‘My Baby’ was ‘Discovery 2050’ – a sci-fi story set in 2050 where a space probe (made up of the ‘Future Lab’, ‘Airship’ and ‘Marine’) is launched in search of an alternative home for humanity. The probe is heading for an unknown planet to explore the environment and the organisms that may inhabit it.

Hyundai designers were free to imagine what tools this probe may be carrying in order to help it carry out its mission. The selected creations were then made into scale models and were unveiled at the Seoul Motor Show earlier this year.

Visitors to the 2013 Seoul Motor Show tour the Discovery 2050, the custom-designed home of the My Baby projects, meant to evoke a space probe to a distant planet.

Through this project, Hyundai allowed designers from its global design bases in Korea, the U.S.A, China, Japan, Europe and India, the freedom to generate and share their creative ideas. During the competition, designers reinterpreted and evolved ‘Fluidic Sculpture’, Hyundai’s current car design philosophy.

Here are the ideas that were put forward for the ‘Discovery 2050’ project:

Future Lab
At the Future Lab, various innovative experiments are in progress. The researchers produce state-of-the-art units to explore the universe while making life more convenient for human beings. The UFO, a flying suit, emerges as a promising new concept of a flying model. The Recon, a reconnaissance robot, and Bio-Rider, a planet-cultivating robot, convert hostile, uninhabitable environments to thriving ecosystems where humans can live. The Noah, a moving city created in order to prepare for the destruction of earth, brings us to the frontier of new technology that enables production of energy from various sources. More ‘My Baby’ units are currently in development to further support human beings in the Future Lab.

• UFO – Flying suit / Hyundai Design North America / Roger Flores

By simply wearing the UFO, people can fly anywhere with no concern for gravity, at any speed. Its body structure, similar to the human spine, covers and protects its wearer.

• Bio-Rider – Planet cultivating robot / Hyundai Design Europe / Michel Glenisson

The Bio-Rider cultivates deserted locations on earth or unknown planets. Travelling with trees loaded in its storage bay located on its upper body, the Bio-Rider plants trees by digging a hole in one go with a tremendous burst of power, turning a deserted city into a thriving ecosystem.

Airship
At the Airship section, flying units are on standby to explore space. The EC.DY.SIS for personal mobility and solar energy-based Flash-No-1 are about to take off, while the D2-X, a racing machine and dragon look alike Trikal wait for the next signal. The Jetpack, which is able to freely fly around and quickly rescue people in danger, is always ready to be deployed in the event of an accident.

• Jet pack – Lifesaving vest / Hyundai Design Europe / Eric-Yann Coulouvrat

The easy-to-wear Jetpack allows free flying to enable prompt rescue of people in danger.

• EC.DY.SIS – Amphibious transportation / Hyundai Design Korea / Seung Yeol Jun

The EC.DY.SIS, which utilises eco-friendly electric energy, is a private mode of transportation in a futuristic marine city. Modeled after the survival system of crustaceans, each part can be replaced separately when damaged.

• D2-X – Racing machine / Hyundai Design Korea / Dong Seoung Lee

Inspired by the human spine, which protects organs, the D2-X has a strong yet flexible structure to protect drivers at extreme speeds.

Marine
A variety of devices for marine transportation, to explore the deep sea as well as to purify the water, are anchored at the Marine section. The MR.H2O, which purifies the polluted ocean, and Earth Race2, an ekranoplan-type yacht, are prepared for sailing. The Laputa, a huge flying city, helps to alleviate the stress on the earth’s environment due to overpopulation. The HF-1, a premium yacht, and Sea-Prowler, a speed boat equipped with strong hydropower turbine, wait for their turn.

• Laputa – Flying city / Hyundai Design China / Wang Nifu

Aimed at recovering nature by relieving population pressures, the Laputa’s surface is made of fibre and produces energy by itself through photosynthesis using solar heat.

• Earth Race 2 – Ekranoplan-type yacht / Hyundai Design North America / Cedric d’ Andre

The Earth Race 2 is an ekranoplan-type yacht, powered by wind and people riding it. The energy efficient design allows the yacht to sail at high speeds by taking advantage of ground effect.

Source: Hyundai

Tags: airship, Bio-Rider, Cedric d’ Andre, concept design, Discovery 2050, Dong Seoung Lee, Eric-Yann Coulouvrat, Fluidic Sculpture, Future Lab, Hyundai Design, industrial design, jet pack, marine design, Michel Glenisson, My Baby, Roger Flores, sci-fi, Seung Yeol Jun, transportation design, UFO, Wang Nifu, yacht design