
BMW prototype uses textile instead of sheetmetal - comatose_kid
http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/1075-bmws-fascinating-gina-light-visionary-model-design-study
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bprater
Gorgeous. Even if you don't like the concept, it makes you stop for a second
and say 'what if?'

Also, ever hacker working on a project shouldn't miss those few seconds in the
video where he talks about emotion. That's the missing key into most projects
I see. When you are busy trying to sell your technology and not the emotional
impact it'll have on me -- you are missing out on one of the most powerful
human motivators.

~~~
Hexstream
"When you are busy trying to sell your technology and not the emotional impact
it'll have on me -- you are missing out on one of the most powerful human
motivators."

I think marketers rely on emotion a lot to sell...

~~~
dkokelley
_I think marketers rely on emotion a lot to sell..._

They do. Especially with cars, but it can be seen in almost every imaginable
product (both physical and technological).

Look at an Apple commercial. Let's take the Mac vs PC version. Of course
points of pain (viruses) are brought up, but emotionally we connect to the
feeling of "victory" over the PC when we have a Mac. And if we don't, we feel
a sort of defeat. If we have a PC and we see our friend Mr. PC embarrassing
himself because the Mac is so obviously better (as implied in the commercials.
Your current opinions need not apply), we get hurt, even insulted. We can be
defensive. We want to be on the "winning" side. It's our emotions that tell us
"we want to be cool, like the Mac." So we buy a Mac. For most consumers, it's
not the direct, logical comparison that causes us to buy. Those comparisons
are justifications for our purchases. We've already decided what we will buy,
now we need to justify it.

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gibsonf1
Very interesting, but is it 1 errant knife away from cosmetic destruction?

I actually like the concept a lot, especially the lights, but I don't find the
wrinkles when the doors open very appealing.

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Hexstream
Current cars are already 1 errant knife (or key) away from cosmetic
destruction...

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edw519
As I watched the video, I was thinking, "How does this apply to hacking?"

I got my answer at the end when he said, "The Gina philosophy, in its short
form, it's about being flexible. Thinking flexible. Acting flexible. Context
over dogma, that's it".

That reminded me about an recurring discussion that happens here, "What
resolution do you design websites for?" most recently here:

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=214393>

IMHO, the correct answer: Whatever resolution the browser arrives in.

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dhotson
This is a really cool idea.

I'm guessing that the reduction in weight would make this car a lot more
energy efficient also. It might even make it accelerate faster.

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justindz
I feel terrible that my first thought when reading the title was "I'm not
familiar with a markup language called sheetmetal."

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lakeeffect
Here are some animations of the shell changing.

<http://blog.wegif.com/?p=15>

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root
Cute, but in this form it will never be allowed on European streets. If you
hit a pedestrian they will smash their head right into the engine block, so it
is never going to pass safety standards. Still, the idea is nice, does anyone
have any stats on how much weight this safes?

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ovi256
It would be easy to put on a lightweight, plastic maybe, engine cover. So do
not discard the concept, these details can be fixed.

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root
I definitely do not discard it. Another solution that sprang to mind is that
the softness of the hood makes it possible to put some kind of airbag(s) over
the engine. Though this probably has a rather complicated set of problems
(when to fire it, how to time the firing, can the required volume be inflated
in time, etc.).

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jrockway
This is quite beautiful. It's sad, however, to see that the really cool
concept cars never see the light of day (erm, mass production).

Also, I don't want to be the one to declare the end of the 1-car-per-person
era... but in 20 years, will anyone be using cars anymore?

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hugh
Yes, they just won't be powered by fossil fuels anymore.

Boy, there's a big wave of doom-and-gloom sweeping the globe these past few
months, isn't there? I can't wait 'til it's over.

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boredguy8
"Context over dogma" is a delightfully nuanced way of challenging rules. Far
more powerful (because it's far more true) than a "break all the rules"
mentality.

I shouldn't have heard that line just before bedtime - I'll be up for a while
now.

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Tichy
Waiting to see a crash test of this vs a SUV street tank.

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misterbwong
The person on the video touched on this. Most of the safety features of a car
have nothing to do with the skin. If the innards are the same as regular cars,
I'd be willing to bet passengers in this car would be just as safe.

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limeade
Isn't this just a reprise of the covered wagon?

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colinplamondon
The whole having a motor... "thing" is rather nice, though.

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josefresco
I'll get my car news from AutoBlog thank you very much.

