IKEA Launches Self-Driving Car Project

We have all been witnessing the slow shift into an autonomous-led future of transportation.

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From reports on how cities can adapt to such a change to constant new developments to aid in the implementation of self-driving vehicles, there is no shortage of news hinting that driverless transport is here to stay and grow.

Now, IKEA has taken this concept a step further with its future living lab SPACE10's latest concept project called Spaces on Wheels.

"We’ve designed seven autonomous vehicles as a visual exploration of how fully autonomous vehicles could one day enable a more fulfilling, everyday life," reveals the firm's blog.

We're pleased to launch Spaces on Wheels: our latest #PlayfulResearch project envisioning the #future of self-driving vehicles. Download our new app to experience booking a Space on Wheels in #AR and read about the project here:https://t.co/4wBplwlRlg#SPACE10 #spacesonwheels

— SPACE10 (@space10_journal) September 17, 2018

Life on the go

The designs cover several of daily life's most important and ubiquitous sectors from healthcare to hospitality, giving a futuristic peek into a new mobile experience of our world. The project is also further complimented by an Augmented Reality SPACE10 app that simulates a Space on Wheels booking.

IKEA also provides a research report that explores both the challenges and opportunities of self-driving initiatives related to urban environments. "Ultimately, Spaces on Wheels invites more people to envision the profound paradigm shift the development of self-driving cars could have on our everyday lives," explains IKEA's statement.

The seven designs

Office on Wheels aims to eliminate time lost in daily commutes to work in order to increase productivity and provide a more relaxed professional setting.

Cafe on Wheels is an innovative solution to isolation providing a moving area where people can catch up and reconnect without interrupting their busy schedules.

Healthcare on Wheels, complete with a drone ambulance, enables medical care that comes to the patient, not the other way around.

Farm on Wheels brings fresh food to urban communities who have limited access to higher-end produce stores, feeding those who need it the most and expanding farmers 'markets.

Play on Wheels merges transport and entertainment through the inclusion of novel windows that provide augmented reality games and educational tools that can be adapted to cater to a passenger's surroundings.

Hotel on Wheels lets you travel to your destination while you sleep comfortably in a room that features all the perks found in today's static hotel rooms.

Shop on Wheels is a mobile store for those who want to shop without the hassle of getting to a mall. Now retail therapy comes to your doorstep.

For now, the project is meant to inspire a conversation about the endless possibilities that self-driving advancements can produce. "We’d like to make more and more people think about the vast promises surrounding what fully autonomous electric vehicles could enable: from increased safety on roads to better health in cities, greater convenience, more efficiency, reduced environmental impact and increased mobility for more people, we aim to elicit a broader dialogue on how we should perceive and design these spaces," read's IKEA's blog.