It's a dump truck Jim, but not as we know it! Regular Biglorryblog readers may remember that I recently teamed up with Allan Macdonald of DesignerTechniques, the highly-regarded Scandinavian-based website that teaches design skills, http://www.designertechniques.com/ along with Letraset and DesignSketching to bring you a fantastic 'Design a truck for the future!' competition - but one with an unusual twist. Instead of simply designing 'tomorrow's truck' Allan asked up-and-coming automotive designers to pick a non-automotive 'Big-name brand' (like Apple, Sony, Nike, Google or Starbucks), and research its corporate values whilst at the same time studying the requirements of a typical truck (in any world market).
Armed with that information they then had to create a truck design that "offers an improvement over the equivalent vehicle on the market today - but one that also represents and reflects the values of your chosen 'brand'." Besides that they were free to be as creative as they wished! Well BLB can now bring you not only the winners but also some of the other entries that caught BLB's eye.
First prize went to Flavio Michellod who chose Black & Decker power tools as his inspiration and produced a series of preliminary sketches before coming up with his finished design based on what he describes as the 'drill' concept where all the principle mechanical components are fixed to a tubular core - and like a drill the truck features electric motors and gearbox and has four support arms which take amongst other things the cabin and tipper body... So BLB's congratulations to Flavio - now click through here for more weird and wonderful 'brand name' trucks of the future!
In second place was - Nicholas Bormann who chose Sony Ericsson as his 'brand' and came up with what I thought was a cracking high-roof tractor that provides 'penthouse' living for two drivers whilst giving an extra 1050mm longer on the trailer. It struck me that this was something that might well appear in the future...
Here's Nicholas's electric drivetrain layout...
Now the interior design - reminds me a bit of the high-roof Econic tractor being trialled by Vos Logistics!
In third place came Vitaly Silingov who took his inspiration from the rollerblade and ice skate manufactucturer Roces,The angular tractor really does look like one of those big plastic roller blade boots or ski boots with their massive plastic hinged joints!
Nice work on the interior too complete with rotating seats and minimalist dashboard... Now here are some of the others that caught BLB's eye.
Nicholas Lee chose Fedex as his brand and came up with a terrific tractor and cargo pod concept that could be pulled by the artic or carried beneath a cargo jet!
And to get into the tractor...
Say open sesame and the doors slide open to reveal a 'stairway to heaven' (and the driving cockpit)!
Carlos Ramos Alzamora plumped for Skipper Marine as his best brand and came up with this streamlined six-wheeler with sexy red interior...
...That looks like it's come straight out of a power boat!
Matthew Rogers' Dyson-inspired go-anywhere truck is called the Dyson Cross Atlas... And we don't doubt its cross-country ability either!
Cab has all the comfort of a camping holiday including gas cooker and loading chute for supplies!
Antoine Chassagne took a new twist on 'Ice Road truckers' and ski maker Salomon to come up with his 'Extreme Ice Truck' which uses twin screws to propel the container carrier through snow, ice, slush and even water.
It's powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and an electric motor...something you'd clearly find ready for action in Pod 5 of Thunderbird 2!
Timur Jan Pinar's rugged solar-powered, electric drive all-wheel off-roader is meant for the World Wildlife Fund. It looks simple, practical and the kind of thing you coud make with a recycled plastic monocoque body
And it can either carry cargo in the back... Or the odd zebra!
Tomasz Biel's Bang & Olufsen-inspred 'BeO' artic looks more than just believable...
It even comes with its own rumpus room in the basement. Nice...!
Aleksey Ovcharenko took the Airbus Industries' 'Super Guppy' transporter plane as his starting point, Truck steers through rotating wheeled module at the front giving it a very tight turning circle...
Last but not least Xabier Albizu Ponce's little tanker certainly looks a possibility for urban deliveries with its neat, non-aggressive cab. (hmmm... I wonder if I can get a Cummins ISM undearneath the cab?)
Meanwhile, congratulations to ALL who took part in the Designer Techniques competition - their great imagination and 'out-of-the-box' thinking shows there are some very talented young designers out there. And once again well done to winner Flavio Michellod who also gets the unique opportunity to send his portfolio to Scania AB's highly-respected Chief of Design Kristofer Hansen (I've met him and he's a really nice bloke) who will provide personal feedback and suggestions on Flavio's work. And remember wherever the next truck of the future appears... You'll see it first on Biglorryblog!
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