This forward-thinking group project required the identification of how a mobility system in Toronto in 2035 would benefit the city using the Vision in Product Design process. Individual vehicle elements were then designed to form the mobility system. The group decided on the vision statement of,
‘Provide end to end transport that embraces the diversity of Toronto, conquers its dynamic climate and builds towards a sustainable future’.
Synapse provides outer city family transport as well as inner city autonomous point to point travel. The vehicle is designed so that users can opt to rent it out to operate as a autonomous taxi within the city centre. This fills the gap between personal mobility and public busses and trams. The vehicle is also built for longer journeys so users can travel further away from Toronto.
The system is based on a few commonalities between all of the participating vehicles. When these vehicles are travelling within autonomous zones, the intelligent light solution presents an orange colour, so passers-by know it is running autonomously. The lights will also interact with the environment around them acknowledging pedestrians and alerting them of their movements.