BERLIN · on possibly the coldest, rainiest day of the entire summer in Berlin, dedicated PLATOON members huddled together in the makeshift tent in our yard to discuss the impact that connectivity will have on the future of mobility. this was the second session of the 2011 PLATOON connectivity workshop, meant to assess globally relevant challenges for the automotive industry.

this built on the first session that took place in Seoul back in June, where experts discussed influential connectivity trends relevant to mobility providers. from the Berlin meeting, our members presented strategies and sketched conceptual difficulties until concrete designs and some pretty brilliant product ideas were born.

Participants included Jay from Open Design City, Peter from 3rd Wave//Cognitive Cities, Edial from Gidsy//Your Neighbours, Alexander from Data-Overload, Sebastian from Invisible Playground and finally Sven from Medical Connectivity, each bringing their own expertise and input to the table. First everyone had to present their ideas about potential products and schemes followed by a remix session where each was assigned someone else’s idea to work on, eventually producing an entirely achievable project.

don’t think about cars that fly or drive themselves however! one repeated theme was how inflexible cars are, and how this is not going to change anytime soon. a car still needs to get us from A to B but what we do while we’re getting there is another matter. and you use your car for about two hours a day, but what about those other twenty-two you might wonder? this is when members showed their inventive thinking skills, with a steady stream of imaginative yet practical ideas bouncing around the tent. One outcome included your car functioning as a home arcade, where you can play interactive racing games in the driver’s seat from the comfort of your own garage!

so despite the terribly unfriendly weather, the high energy inside the tent kept us warm while bringing new powerful connectivity options that perhaps one day will redefine mobility and alter the experience and preconceptions we have towards cars and driving. just given some time.

see previous entry about the connectivity workshop in berlin