Rinspeed is a Swiss manufacturer that, among other things, tunes and enhances high-end automobiles. They’re also known for their outlandish concept cars, including the Ʃtos, which is set to debut in a couple weeks at the Geneva Motor Show.
This machine provides a glimpse into the future of transportation, where cars drive themselves and passengers enjoy endless connectivity.
This exotic vehicle is based on the BMW i8. As such, its passenger cell is made of carbon fiber and the front structure is constructed of lightweight aluminum. Upping its style factor, it rolls on 20-inch Borbet GTX aluminum rims.
But what else does this cutting-edge design study offer? Well, for starters, since it’s capable of autonomous driving the steering wheel can retract into the dashboard in just a couple seconds. This frees up all kinds of space for the driver. They can do work or even read a book.
Providing more information that Nasa’s mission control center is a pair of curved 21.5-inch Ultra HD displays. These screens are arrayed right on the dashboard for easy visibility.
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Providing lots of useful information and helpful features is Harman’s latest connected-car service. This includes a digital personal assistant that responds to your voice for hands-free operation.
The outside of the vehicle is festooned with eight HD cameras. They monitor everything that’s going on around the car and provide unobstructed, 180-degree visibility both front and rear. They also allow the Ʃtos to warn the driver of danger they may not be aware of.
Aside from all of this technology, there’s also car-to-infrastructure communication and E-horizon technology, the latter of which provides precise warnings of dangerous road situations and can even help the vehicle sync up with traffic signals to avoid getting stopped at red lights.
A gaze-tracking system keeps watch of the driver’s eyes so the vehicle knows what they’ve seen or more importantly, haven’t seen. This allows the car to tailor warning messages to the motorist’s needs.
But perhaps the Ʃtos’ strangest feature of all is an integrated DJI drone that has its own landing platform at the vehicle’s rear. The idea with this is that it could pick up a bouquet of flowers for your loved one while you’re driving home, or it could shoot on-the-go selfies that you can send to friends.
As you can see, the Rinspeed Ʃtos concept is about as far out as vehicular design study can be. The likelihood of it ever making it into production are slim, but still, it’s fun to explore different ideas. What do you think of this exotic machine?
