BMW Gina Light Visionary Model

[clutch-monkey]

i wonder what effect this technique has on wieght reduction and impact safety..

[LeonOfTheDead]

i wonder what effect this technique has on wieght reduction and impact safety..

well, the body panels don't really contribute on the safety of a car, and since these kind of materials are lighter than plastic, fiberglass or some kind of metal of course, the additional weight due to the moving mechanisms is probably balanced by that.
an issue could be the fact that in case of impact all the moving mechanisms and frames that sustain the "body", which I think are very light and probably no so tough, could be damaged in a way to be detached from the car becoming real dangerous parts. This because they wouldn't be just a "flying" objects but components that right before of the impact ware loaded to maintain a particular shape, so when they are broken, they are going to release that energy in a non controllable way. imo.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

You'd think having a canvas thing to bounce off would be quite good for road safety.

I have to say it's a stunning concept for the most part but as for it being a new design overall....Well, it's made of new materials but BMW have been experimenting with this sort of bone structure for a while now (the 1 series is a good example of that).

The Aerodynamics is an interesting point, as is longevity, ability to withstand elements, maintenance..... It's a cool idea though.

[NSXType-R]

aeroplanes used to simply have a fabric stretched over wooden struts for the fuselage, like the hurricane and several modern light planes
so it could work quite well i guess?

Yeah, but those planes don't change shape as wildly as this BMW.

Besides, I would hate for someone to come by and slice the car up with a knife just like a softop can get messed up.

[clutch-monkey]

Yeah, but those planes don't change shape as wildly as this BMW.

yeah, but the shape shifting tech would not be likely to make it into production anyway, realistically.

[LeonOfTheDead]

yeah, but the shape shifting tech would not be likely to make it into production anyway, realistically.

yap, not in the near future at least.
maybe it could be used just for some parts of the car, as for interior as suggested on the thread in the multimedia sector, or for example for expanding the boot while not occupied by the folding top.
But I would love a car opening its bodywork to show me its heart

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BMW Gina Light Visionary Model #3

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BMW Gina Light Visionary Model #8

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BMW Gina Light Visionary Model #9

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BMW Gina Light Visionary Model #10

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