The concept OU (Portuguese for “or”) addresses some of the most complex problems found on the huge streets in urban centers: accidents, traffic jams and pollution. Running both on and off-rails, this solution would require minimum adaptation in existing roadway infrastructure.

The goal of the 2:1 Industrial Design team, a company based in Florianópolis (Brazil), was to bring sustainability and space conservation principles to individual transportation, allowing for a level of flexibility that could not be matched by collective vehicles such as buses or trains.

What is unique about these electric Tron-like vehicles is the inspiration they get from nature (aka – Biomimicry): units with the same pathways or destinations programmed on their GPSs sync together like fish shoals, maintaining a controlled distance between each vehicle and avoiding the formation of traffic jams.

The OU is part of the Michelin Challenge Design^TM Showcase, a challenge to designers around the world to create and display work aimed at innovation in vehicle design.

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OU