BMW prototype uses textile instead of sheetmetal | Hacker News Reader

BMW prototype uses textile instead of sheetmetal

37signals.com

47 pointscomatose_kid27 comments

Gorgeous. Even if you don't like the concept, it makes you stop for a second and say 'what if?'

Also, ever hacker working on a project shouldn't miss those few seconds in the video where he talks about emotion. That's the missing key into most projects I see. When you are busy trying to sell your technology and not the emotional impact it'll have on me -- you are missing out on one of the most powerful human motivators.

"When you are busy trying to sell your technology and not the emotional impact it'll have on me -- you are missing out on one of the most powerful human motivators."

I think marketers rely on emotion a lot to sell...

I think marketers rely on emotion a lot to sell...

They do. Especially with cars, but it can be seen in almost every imaginable product (both physical and technological).

Look at an Apple commercial. Let's take the Mac vs PC version. Of course points of pain (viruses) are brought up, but emotionally we connect to the feeling of "victory" over the PC when we have a Mac. And if we don't, we feel a sort of defeat. If we have a PC and we see our friend Mr. PC embarrassing himself because the Mac is so obviously better (as implied in the commercials. Your current opinions need not apply), we get hurt, even insulted. We can be defensive. We want to be on the "winning" side. It's our emotions that tell us "we want to be cool, like the Mac." So we buy a Mac. For most consumers, it's not the direct, logical comparison that causes us to buy. Those comparisons are justifications for our purchases. We've already decided what we will buy, now we need to justify it.

"I think marketers rely on emotion a lot to sell..."

Poor marketers rely on logic to sell.

Good marketers rely on emotion a lot to sell.

Excellent marketers rely solely on emotion to sell. Then they provide logical backup for a decision already made based on emotion. Because they know that buying decisions are made based on emotion and then justified with logic. (Do your really need a 3G iPhone?)

I bet it would look like ass after about a week (things sticking to it and being harder to remove than metal; wrinkling; effects of cold/heat)

Very interesting, but is it 1 errant knife away from cosmetic destruction?

I actually like the concept a lot, especially the lights, but I don't find the wrinkles when the doors open very appealing.

maybe they should cover it in those glad force flex bags.

regardless, i think it's awesome.

Current cars are already 1 errant knife (or key) away from cosmetic destruction...

Yes, just like most convertibles.

It also appears to be immune to the accidental scratches and dings one gets from doors, shopping carts, flying gravel, etc.

As I watched the video, I was thinking, "How does this apply to hacking?"

I got my answer at the end when he said, "The Gina philosophy, in its short form, it's about being flexible. Thinking flexible. Acting flexible. Context over dogma, that's it".

That reminded me about an recurring discussion that happens here, "What resolution do you design websites for?" most recently here:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=214393

IMHO, the correct answer: Whatever resolution the browser arrives in.

This is a really cool idea.

I'm guessing that the reduction in weight would make this car a lot more energy efficient also. It might even make it accelerate faster.

I feel terrible that my first thought when reading the title was "I'm not familiar with a markup language called sheetmetal."

Here are some animations of the shell changing.

http://blog.wegif.com/?p=15

Cute, but in this form it will never be allowed on European streets. If you hit a pedestrian they will smash their head right into the engine block, so it is never going to pass safety standards. Still, the idea is nice, does anyone have any stats on how much weight this safes?

It would be easy to put on a lightweight, plastic maybe, engine cover. So do not discard the concept, these details can be fixed.

I definitely do not discard it. Another solution that sprang to mind is that the softness of the hood makes it possible to put some kind of airbag(s) over the engine. Though this probably has a rather complicated set of problems (when to fire it, how to time the firing, can the required volume be inflated in time, etc.).

This is quite beautiful. It's sad, however, to see that the really cool concept cars never see the light of day (erm, mass production).

Also, I don't want to be the one to declare the end of the 1-car-per-person era... but in 20 years, will anyone be using cars anymore?

Yes, they just won't be powered by fossil fuels anymore.

Boy, there's a big wave of doom-and-gloom sweeping the globe these past few months, isn't there? I can't wait 'til it's over.

"Context over dogma" is a delightfully nuanced way of challenging rules. Far more powerful (because it's far more true) than a "break all the rules" mentality.

I shouldn't have heard that line just before bedtime - I'll be up for a while now.

Waiting to see a crash test of this vs a SUV street tank.

The person on the video touched on this. Most of the safety features of a car have nothing to do with the skin. If the innards are the same as regular cars, I'd be willing to bet passengers in this car would be just as safe.

Isn't this just a reprise of the covered wagon?

The whole having a motor... "thing" is rather nice, though.

More like a reprise of the biplane (BMW started as an aircraft engine maker way back in the day).

Did anybody else think of Porco Rosso when seeing this car?

Isn't the roof on, say, a 1980s Lincoln done like this? Or is that just fabric covering metal?

I'll get my car news from AutoBlog thank you very much.

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