NASA-Inspired Takapo Could Be the Renault Concept of Our Future – autoevolution

Dont worry folks, what you see in the cover photo is only an idea, a concept if you will, and hasnt actually seen the light of day, yet. Its quite possible that this idea may never actually manifest. Definitely not under the Renault brand thats for sure. Thats just for show.

What we see is called the Renault Takapo, apparently named after a lake in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, and is from the mind of two gentlemen by the names of Dong Ju Jeon and GyuWan Kim, two students at Chung Ang University in South Korea - the Korea that makes your Samsung phone, and not WW3.

Before you start bagging on how it looks like the newest gaming console or a shaving razor, take into account that beyond the bodywork, like any good concept, this one too expresses one tech idea or another. The Takapo even showcases hardware inspired by NASA.

Saying that the body design is odd is an understatement. First off, where the heck are the wheels? Oh, yeah there they are. If we look closely at the front of the car, whichever that may be, we can see a couple of what may look like wheels on the interior of the car. However, thats all we get, just a visual representation. There's nothing offered by the designers to sustain any of these assumptions.

Even the idea that this car is autonomous is just an assumption. But like any educated guess or hypothesis, the idea that the Takapo is autonomous is based on something. That something is the positioning of the windshield. Unlike modern-era vehicles that include a forward-facing windshield, here we find that windshield on the top of the car, very much like other autonomous designs.

The Takapo is a bit different in that there is absolutely nothing to do inside but chill. I wonder if theyve got Netflix hooked up, standard. However, the way youll be chilling is absolutely next level. Inspired by NASA Zero Gravity chairs, the designers choose to employ a similar idea as to offer passengers a feeling of weightlessness while cruising to their destination.

Lets imagine this for a moment. Wherever youre sitting right now, just close your eyes and imagine youre lying on a lounge chair. Now, imagine that chair is suspended in air. Thats basically the feeling the designers wanted to capture.

But is it enough to make it into a real car? Probably not. But its still one heck of a ride to imagine yourself in. Or maybe, just maybe, somebody gets a hold of that chair design and goes to town making their own. I dont know, ideas seem to be limitless these days.

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NASA-Inspired Takapo Could Be the Renault Concept of Our Future - autoevolution