Wednesday 11th March 2009

'Shark' Hovercraft

Audi design competition gives award to mad-looking concept

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Is it a bird, is it a 'plane, etc? Nope, it's the Shark - a strikingly stylish hovercraft concept that Audi has just awarded first prize in a design competition it co-sponsored with the prestigious Milan design academy.

Kazim Doku is the 26-year old brain behind the concept, and he told wired he was aiming to emulate the signature style of Audi design chief Walter de'Silva when rendering his futuristic chariot.

The Shark has a driving position similar to that of a motorbike, but the bodywork with its flip-up canopy has been conceived to provide the same level of protection as a car. There are plenty of Audi design cues in the rendered images, although the only carry-over parts from the current Audi line-up are the LED lights - apparently from the S5.

We may not be getting behind the wheel of a real Audi hovercraft anytime soon, but the concept provides an intriguing insight into vision of another up-and-coming designer. Doku has already been a finalist in a Peugeot design contest, and potential employers at automotive design studios around the world will surely be lining up for a look at his portfolio.

 

[Insight]

Cool!

[Mr Gear]

Needs bigger alloys.

[Burnham]

Who's 'Wired' and why did he tell them and not us?

[Warick Hunt]

What is the point of designing something that relys on unknown technology to make it work??

[Sixpackpert]

Is there an iRobot 2 coming out, would seem like something they would be doing for that??

[ZesPak]

Warick Hunt said:

What is the point of designing something that relys on unknown technology to make it work??

So no Sci-fi fan then, are you?

[Skodaku]

Warick Hunt said:

What is the point of designing something that relys on unknown technology to make it work??

er.................isn't that precisely how we got the internal combustion engine, the steam engine, radio, TV, photography, medicines and all the other currently "known" technologies ? Presumably you'd like the world to stop now; no more blue-sky thinking, no more asking "what if ?", no more development.

How very odd.

[pumpkin]

Not hovercraft but hydrofoil

[ukwill]

Skodaku said:

Warick Hunt said:

What is the point of designing something that relys on unknown technology to make it work??

er.................isn't that precisely how we got the internal combustion engine, the steam engine, radio, TV, photography, medicines and all the other currently "known" technologies ? Presumably you'd like the world to stop now; no more blue-sky thinking, no more asking "what if ?", no more development.

How very odd.

Don't worry, he has a history of this.

Edited by ukwill on Wednesday 11th March 21:50

[AUDIHenry]

Ooh, that's nice!

[bobberz]

I'd drive it, if drive is the right word.

[just me]

Apparently he lives in Turkey. Nice work.

I like this one, could have made a nice T440R if TVR had looked around for promising designs:
http://kazimdoku.deviantart.com/art/concept-car-de...

Edited by just me on Thursday 12th March 06:16

[Jasandjules]

Looks like a Mr Bond personal attack submarine... Cool !!

[Super Bad]

I want one!

[fathomfive]

Warick Hunt said:

What is the point of designing something that relys on unknown technology to make it work??

Wow, what an amazingly open-minded statement.

[jonmsm]

Does anyone else think that the shape of that would lend to a really good looking motorbike? Just the spare of the front and the back would make a gorgeous concept bike!

[OJ]

fathomfive said:

Warick Hunt said:

What is the point of designing something that relys on unknown technology to make it work??

Wow, what an amazingly open-minded statement.

Sorry but as an engineer I have to agree. Unless someone can show me one that hovers it's pointless. Make it work THEN make it shiny

[Asterix]

OJ said:

fathomfive said:

Warick Hunt said:

What is the point of designing something that relys on unknown technology to make it work??

Wow, what an amazingly open-minded statement.

Sorry but as an engineer I have to agree. Unless someone can show me one that hovers it's pointless. Make it work THEN make it shiny

Just a different PoV - an engineer will always ask that and a designer will always ignore the rules for concepts. Then there is a meeting of minds somewhere in the middle, somewhere in the future.

[just me]

OJ said:

fathomfive said:

Warick Hunt said:

What is the point of designing something that relys on unknown technology to make it work??

Wow, what an amazingly open-minded statement.

Sorry but as an engineer I have to agree. Unless someone can show me one that hovers it's pointless. Make it work THEN make it shiny

Can't believe you say that as an engineer. First you need a goal. Then you need to solve the problems to get to the goal.

First they decided they needed a man on the moon. Then they figured out how to do it.
Same with 3D graphics.
Same with cellphones.
Same with running hot water.

Or any innovation/technological progress. First you need to dream.

Can I suggest you read Tom Kelly's The Art of Innovation before responding? He specifically recommends sci fi, action comics, bike shops, and design and tech blogs as places to get inspiration from.

[just me]

As another example, we have pretty much accepted that it takes 45 minutes or so to charge our laptop batteries. But, a team at MIT didn't. They researched why it took so long to recharge these batteries and found the reason and a way to work around it. In two years, we should have laptop batteries that take one minute to charge.

If no one had asked the question, and simply accepted the status quo, we would not have the solution/innovation/improvement/step forward.

It is essential to dream. Then you need the scientists/engineers to make it a reality. Along with the designers, who make it appealing and usable.