VW
Propane Studio
Prototyping, Development, Motion Design, UI Design
The Volkswagen Electronics Research Laboratory (VW ERL), “accelerates automotive innovation by harvesting Silicon Valley energy.” In other words, they make lots of cool and groundbreaking stuff for cars. Partnering with Propane Studio, I architected and built a comprehensive prototype that VW used at a trade show to demonstrate new green-friendly initiatives.
My role in the project was to architect and develop a working prototype that could be shown in a real car sent to a tradeshow. I accomplished this by building a Flash/AIR prototype that was deployed in a trunk PC, with the display piped to the car's console. Propane provided the visual design, and I built the working prototype and integrated the back-end technology.
For the back end, VW had worked with Stanford to develop an algorithm to calculate navigation routes that took into account multiple environmental factors. i.e. Do I want to get there fast, or do I want to get there sustainably? We integrated this into our prototype by building in a Google Earth layer which enabled the display of navigation routes within the application.
Additionally, the prototype showed off other potential new features of the Audi MMI (Multimedia Interface) system including live traffic-nodes, fuel-savings history, and energy harvesting.
Prototyping experimental technologies necessarily required an openness toward experimentation and figuring out the right solution as the project unfolded. Integrating multiple layers of technology was a substantial challenge.
VW successfully demonstrated their latest technological thinking at several trade shows using the live prototype that we designed and delivered. The work resulted in an ongoing partnership between Propane Studio and the VW ERL showcasing similar prototypes over the course of several years.
David was an ideal partner for accomplishing our goals while building prototypes for Volkswagen. Not only did he develop compelling prototypes with advanced functionality, but he was also invaluable in helping us figure out, evaluate, and refine the overall experience. Highly recommended!
