This spring, a task force of students and faculty at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) has been hard at work researching the future of mobility through a partnership with Hyundai.
Four teams, each made up of one faculty member and four students, studied four key research areas: graphic design, industrial design, sound design for mobility and textile design for mobility. RISD and Hyundai announced on Tuesday that the teams, which began working on the projects at RISD's Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab in February, will be continuing their work through the summer, starting with a six-week research program focused on lightweight structures and hygiene.
"RISD's partnership with Hyundai opens an inspiring new chapter in the space of design, art and creation. Hyundai has a keen interest in the unknown—as does RISD—and we thank them very much for making this research possible," RISD Provost Kent Kleinman said in a statement. "The Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab, one of RISD's innovative centers for research and teaching, played a key role in almost all the students' projects, demonstrating the blurring of boundaries between nature and artifice, and the profound lessons that natural systems offer to artists and designers."
The graphic design team focused on interspecies collaboration, cyborg nature and designed nature using AR and VR as well as machine learning. Inspired by the need for sustainable design options, the industrial design team researched possibilities for the future of cities and the environment.
Utilizing RISD's Spatial Audio Studio, the sound design team explored the theme of "Making the Un-heard Heard," studying novel auditory displays and sonic experiences. The textile design team, meanwhile, conducted a case study of the cockroach, an animal whose structure the team says provided insights into the safety of future mobility.
RISD and Hyundai will extend their collaboration beyond the summer research program. Hyundai plans to form a longer-term partnership with RISD's Nature Lab, where team members can conduct living systems research in the coming years.
Take a look at the teams at work, and some of their designs, below. Images and captions provided by RISD.
