Novus StreamRide Pro
Imagine, a quarter-century from now, the Novus StreamRide Pro is set to revolutionize the concept of driving as a profession. This pioneering innovation will leverage technology to reshape drivers' roles, offering them the tools to forge new identities and craft unique values for themselves in the midst of the second technological revolution.
Role Independent Project
Project Duration November 2022 - December 2022
Speculative Design
About the Project
Looking ahead a quarter of a century, I studied how the rise of automation could transform the worth and self-conception of manual laborers, particularly drivers. This exploration delves into the societal and moral consequences of their shifting roles in the progress of self-driving vehicles. The goal is to rigorously examine the dynamics between automation and labor, endeavoring to pinpoint future prospects and avenues for these laborers in a world progressively dominated by automation.
Part 1: 2047
Team Collaboration
Future of Work and The Relationship Between Blue-Collar Workers and Automation
For our intermediate assignment, my group and I probed worldwide patterns to conceive a situation for 2047, postulating automation's total substitution of manual labor roles. Our mission was to spark discussion on the changing value and personas of these laborers in a future dominated by automation. We demonstrated this alteration through three specific occupations: storage facility operatives, chefs, and vehicle operators, painting a picture of the broad influence and possible evolutions within these careers.
2047 Speculative Narrative
Imagining Blue-Collar Job in 2047 Virtual World
In designing our future work scenarios and artifacts, we adhered to two essential criteria. Firstly, we ensured that the fundamental motions and skills required for all jobs are consistent across both virtual and physical realms. Secondly, we stipulated that each "job" must be quantifiable, allowing completion to be digitally determined as either complete or incomplete. For instance, in the packer scenario, gaps in the room serve as data points; sealing these gaps not only signifies task completion but also optimizes the computer's algorithmic energy expenditure. This approach enhances the system's modularity and efficiency, minimally consuming energy while also fulfilling the psychological need for identity in employment.
Part 1: 2027
Individual
Redefined Driver
In a five-year outlook, I focus on imminent trends affecting ride-app drivers amidst rising level 3 automation. My vision enhances their role by integrating automation while valuing their unique human skills, offering practical, near-term opportunities in the evolving employment landscape. This strategy aims to harmoniously merge emerging technology with today's socio-economic realities, providing a tangible forecast for the future of ride-app driving.
Ridesharing Drivers Interview
In an attempt to comprehend the effect of third-tier automation on ride-hailing service providers, I embarked on interviews centered around their most cherished elements in their existing roles. I posed the question, "What do you love most about this role?" with the intention of discovering which facets of their profession could remain or evolve when automation spares their attention. This investigation is crucial in understanding how drivers might leverage and profit from emerging technologies, possibly shifting their abilities and inclinations to novel or advanced aspects of their trade in a future driven by automation.
Design Problem
Ideation
Further Iteration
Chosen for its user-validated potential, Proposal 3 empowers drivers with vlogging and event capture capabilities, promising new income and recognition avenues. This solution allows drivers to evolve into live-streaming influencers while monitoring autonomous vehicles, necessitating only basic equipment. This democratizes new opportunities, enhancing the ride-app driving profession with technological advancements.
Live-Streaming
Further research into live-streaming reveals a simple setup: a video camera, microphone, lighting, and a digital device are all that's needed. This ease of assembly allows ride-app drivers to adopt live-streaming, effectively turning their vehicles into mobile studios with little investment or alteration to their routines.
Ride-sharing + Live Streaming
My research indicates that as a car navigates through varying environments, it encounters numerous unpredictable events. This dynamic aspect of driving presents an opportunity for drivers to stream these occurrences in real time, capturing content from any angle and at any moment. This capability turns the vehicle into a mobile broadcasting unit, allowing drivers to share unique, on-the-go perspectives of the world around them, thereby enriching their streaming content and engaging a wider audience.
Design Process
Informed by my research, I designed a vehicle featuring a unique, clear half-spherical shape on a circular plan to maximize visibility, offering drivers a complete 360-degree view. This design is particularly beneficial for live-streaming, enabling a broad capture of travel encounters. The vehicle's distinctive shape enhances visibility and adds to its aesthetic appeal, setting it apart in automated driving and live-streaming domains.
3D Printed Scaled Models Iterations
Design Choices
Final Design
NOVUS StreamRide Pro
Through NOVUS, drivers not only generate physical output but can also produce creative digital content. This extra value has the potential for income, connection, recognition, and personal growth, eventually leading to a shift in workers' identity and values while maintaining their flexibility and advancing their driving experience.
Autonomous Driving Assisting System
The integration of live streaming with an autonomous driving assistant system in the vehicle offers both drivers and passengers a novel experience. Equipped with built-in radar, sensors, and cameras, the vehicle boasts 360° visibility, significantly surpassing the visual range of human drivers. This comprehensive view not only enhances the live-streaming content but also significantly increases safety, leveraging technological advancements to provide a more secure and immersive journey for all occupants.
Conclusion
In the 25-year horizon of the Novus StreamRide Pro, the landscape of driving as a profession is reimagined, aligning with the sweeping changes of the second technological revolution. This exploration into the future of drivers, amidst the ubiquity of automation, delves deep into the evolving societal and ethical implications for blue-collar workers. The project anticipates a transformation where drivers transcend traditional roles, leveraging the Novus autonomous vehicle to blend physical skill with digital creativity. As they navigate this new realm, drivers emerge as pioneers in a digital-physical hybrid space, offering unique content and experiences. This shift signifies a broader change in identity and worth, challenging the current perceptions of labor and automation. By envisioning these future pathways, the endeavor aims to illuminate the potential for growth, adaptability, and new forms of value creation, ensuring that workers remain an integral part of the ever-evolving narrative of work and technology.
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About the Project
Part 1: 2047
Context Background
Part 1 Artifact
Part 2: 2027
Research
Insights & Design Goal
Design Process
Prototyping
Final Design
Conclusion
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