Monday, August 16, 2010

Complete!

The Flux Seven B is finished.  Here are a few detail renders, the overall views are available on the "portfolio" page of the main site.  Enjoy.







Abbreviated Dev Diary: Flux Seven B

"eBoost" and the Flux Seven B:

The Flux Seven B is an electric vehicle and as such traditional methods of performance tuning are no longer appropriate.  For an extra burst of speed for a set of "boost capacitors" are available to pour extra power into the electric motor.  Whereas a battery provides a constant, even flow of power at a set output, a capacitor can store energy from an incoming electric input and release it at a faster, more concentrated rate.  

A good metaphor for the eBoost concept may be a slow flowing garden hose.  The water coming from the hose would be equivalent to a battery's output.  If the hose slowly filled up a bucket, the bucket would be a capacitor.  If the bucket is filled and then dumped all at once the result is more dramatic.

The boost capacitors slowly charge from regenerative braking and a set allowance from the main battery.  They can be activated by the driver when full and can provide a roughly 30 HP boost for up to 10 seconds per charge.  Once expended, the capacitor can begin recharging again.



   

Abbreviated Dev Diary: Flux Seven B

While the tiered bolt system designed for the Flux Seven platform was well described, it had yet to be fully realized.  Here is the completed design that will be incorporated into the Flux Seven B.

The original sketch:


Final renders:

By using a tool provided with each automobile, the car owner can completely disassemble, reassemble, and repair their own car.  The standardized "A", "B", and "C" bolts are used exclusively to hold the car together.

Abbreviated Dev Diary: Flux Seven B

Similar to the original Flux Seven design, the nesting body-frames will be composed from organic material and would be theoretically grown rather than built from a mixture of calcium, enamel, and sapphire lattice.  My rough calculations suggest that the structures will be lighter and stronger than graphite or carbon with appropriate wall thicknesses. 

Shown is a test render for a more finalized version of the three interlocked body frames:


Abbreviated Dev Diary: Flux Seven B

Moving forward as a unified, bone-derived monocoque begins to take shape...

The structure of the vehicle is inspired by the natural strength and evolved elegance of whale bone, in particular the upper portion of the skull.





Abbreviated Dev Diary: Flux Seven B

Modeling a series of inter-related organic forms proves to be far more sculptural than technical in execution.

Here we go...

New Racing Seat Design

This seat will become the physical interface for my next car design, "Flux Seven B".  The form language and structure will stay in line with what the original Flux Seven platform represented.


Saturday, July 31, 2010

New Coleman Lantern

Today, I completed a proposal for an LED camping lantern with the goal of fitting within the current generation Coleman product line.  The lantern emits both white light and red light night vision sensitivity.  The hope is to convey safety and security by paying homage to classic Coleman forms and by embracing the compound organic sculptures possible through modern manufacturing. 

Work Featured

My Segway branded wheelchair (featured in my portfolio) was recently featured on The Design Blog.

Check it out here!

17" Wheel Idea

Completed a new tire and wheel design for a future car project. Learning T Spline is a fun challenge.  This took roughly 45 minutes to construct, fluid transition from SubDiv to NURBS made the process far more efficient.  Enjoy.