Cars Of The Future May Be Grown, Not Built

LA Auto Show 2010 

Futuristic designs for cars that are "grown" rather than built and powered by compressed air have been put together by some of the world's most famous manufacturers. Top manufacturers were invited to come up with "comfortable, stylish and safe" vehicles that would weigh no more than 1,500lbs - lighter than a Mini Metro - and run on renewable fuels.

Honda has submitted the Air, which it says was inspired by rollercoasters and skydiving suits, runs on compressed air and weighs just 800lbs.

Other entries range from cars "grown" from seeds to futuristic models with computers that could link up to a city's transport infrastructure and avoid traffic jams.

The designs include the Mercedes-Benz Biome, which designers say would be created in a lab from organic material and absorb solar energy like a plant.The Nissan iV would be built from fast-growing ivy and a substance based on a spider's web.Volvo's Air Motion uses thousands fewer parts than a traditional car thanks to powerful but simple compressed-air motors.

I think its important for car manufacturers to take responsibility for their impact on the environment, from an innovation point of view these concepts can influence new useful products like they have been influenced by the products that proceeded them, even if they don't get produced. from the images of the cars you can see that they are far from the cars of today with there bold shapes and new materials. 

Honda Air

Mercedes-Benz Biome

The Cadillac Aera

The Nissan iV

Maybach's DRS

Volvo's Air Motion

 

 

Viral Videos

A viral video becomes popular throughinternet sharing, through video sharing websites and email.Viral videos often found on YouTube;
Humor is often a characteristic of viral videos, but not a defining one. A viral video is any video that's passed electronically, from person to person, regardless of its content.

With the popularity and ease of use of camera phones many videos are being shot by amateurs on these devices. The availability of inexpensive video editing and publishing tools allows video shot on mobile phones to be edited and distributed virally, by email or website, and between phones by Bluetooth or MMS. These consumer-shot videos are typically non-commercial, intended for viewing by friends or family.

Some viral videos I find effective are from the band OK GO, these videos allowed people from all over the world to listen to the band and become popular in places they wouldnt of reached usually

OK Go- Here It Goes Again (The Treadmill Video)

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass (Domino Effect)

'Past' Trends

Today all the Level 1 ABM students from staffs went up to Manchester for a research project on trends, there was a place a few of us visited called Afflecks Palace just a block or two away from the Arndale Centre, Afflecks Palace is a 3 floor building filled with different shops, generally alternatives to high street fashion etc. however I did notice a few 'Trends' amongst the reclaimed clothes and items there was items that were appearing in most fashion outlets, there was old technology like type writers and atari gaming systems on sale as bespoke interior fashion accesories, my observation is that the key trends of the moment are new technology and eco design, but there is still a place for nostalgia amongst fashion and innovation.

Afflecks Palace, Northern Quarter
52 Church Street, Manchester M4 1PW

Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange

 
Smirnoff (the vodka brand) is creating a global event that enlists consumers to assemble the best of quintessentially local, but unexpected night life ingredients from their city.
These ingredients are boxed up and then shared with sister cities around the globe.
On one given date the nightlife exchange will enable one city to experience the best of what another city has to offer.

London may experience the nightlife of Cape Town, Berlin may receive the experiences of Miami, and Buenos Aires nights may land in Sydney!

A cross-pollination of nightlife around the world creating an iconic, global BE THERE moment, which will take place on November 27th around the world.

I think this is a clever way to advertise the brand as the people who go to this event will link the brand to the night they will have had 

Smirnoff Exchange Facebook Page