Hyundai Motors

At the past at Seoul Motor Show Hyundai has unveiled a group of futuristic concepts created by its global design studios and inspired by a sci-fi theme

The internal global design project was called ‘My Baby’ and aimed at offering new solutions for future transportation based on the theme ‘Discovery 2050’ – a sci-fi project where designers create ideas for tools to explore unknown planets.

Among the submitted projects are a human android robot, a flying suit, amphibious transportation, a ‘My Baby’ challenges Hyundai’s designers to use ‘new thinking’ to imagine a future without technological or manufacturing limits. This biennial project started in 2008 as an internal competition among Hyundai’s designers and aims to enhance their 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 are free to imagine what tools this probe may be carrying in order to help it carry out its mission. The selected creations were made into scale models and were unveiled at the Seoul Motor Show earlier this year.

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

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 Phonika, developed at the lab, is an android robot secretary. 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.

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.

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. 

The Social Tree

_By Lisabel Ting

Planting picture memories at Changi Airport

Travellers passing through Changi Airport’s Terminal One can now post photos of themselves on Facebook – without touching a mobile phone, tablet or computer. 

They can do this using The Social Tree, an art installation which was officially unveiled yesterday at the central piazza of the terminal, which is past the immigration counters. 

The tree-like structure is 9m tall, with a central trunk made out of 150 aluminium rods. LED lights run along the bars and the canopy of the tree is a ring of 64 high-definition screens. 

Scattered beneath the metal branches are eight interactive kiosks equipped with 32-inch touch- capable television screens and cameras. 

Visitors can take photos or videos of themselves and once they have snapped a shot – to which they can add a filter, text or frame – they can e-mail it to themselves, post it on Facebook or create an account at the Social Tree to store their photos. 

Mr Robin Goh, assistant vice-president of corporate and marketing communications for Changi Airport Group, says: "This will allow them to be part of the community here and they can leave their memories with Changi Airport. Instead of a time capsule, it’s almost like a memory capsule."

Travellers can access their accounts only from the eight kiosks at the installation and there is no limit to the number of images which can be stored. 

A fun thing they can do is to flick the photo upwards on the screen and watch it appear on the ring-shaped video wall surrounding the tree. The photo stays there for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Within the first 13 hours of the tree’s opening, more than 1,300 photos were taken. 

One of those who snapped a shot was Ms Shevy Wong, who is in direct sales. The 29-year-old was travelling to Bangkok with three friends, and they took two photos and uploaded them on Facebook. 

"It’s very fun and creative as it allows us to design a memory," she says. "I have to keep looking at my watch, as I’m scared that we’ll play too long here and miss our flight."