Coming 2030: Car Hero!

We’ve all played Forza and marveled at the realism of driving in Gran Turismo (especially with a table-mounted wheel), but what if driving a car was more like a video game? As a part of the annual Design Challenge at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the design studios of several auto manufacturers compete to create concepts based on a theme. This year the theme was “Youthmobile 2030”, asking designers how to translate emerging communication methods into automobiles for the future. General Motors’ submission is a concept dubbed “Car Hero”.

In other words: no, this is not an actual game coming out in 2030 (unless Activision gets to the patent office first).

Car Hero is actually quite a novel idea, albeit probably mighty dangerous. The vehicle is meant to help teach prospective drivers the ins and outs of the road while at the same time making it a fun, game-like experience. Car Hero is an autonomous vehicle that drives you to your location. However, by playing along via the in-car steering wheel and pedals and doing their best to follow the Guitar Hero schematic projected onto the road, drivers can eventually hone their skills enough to actually take control.

Still following me? No? Think of it this way: if you complete Car Hero on “Easy” you are then allowed to actually take control of the vehicle on the road, perhaps only in your neighborhood and under 35 miles per hour. Beat the “Normal” mode and you’re now allowed to hit the highway.

Beat the game on “Hard” or “Expert” and further craziness transpires as the vehicle can “transmorph” into a 3-wheeler, 2-wheeler- or even single wheel vehicle for the ultimate driving challenge. Essentially this will not only make people better drivers, but will also allow expert road stallions to have a continuous challenge. Yeah, that’s the part that terrifies me, too. Yet oddly I WANT. TO. DRIVE. IT.

Great idea, but let’s just hope that some of the concept stays on the drawing board until we’re comfortable with Grandma in a turbocharged unicycle passing us by on I-75.

Press release and more images below.

Are you gaming or are you driving? Yes. The OnStar Car Hero is a vehicle and a gameâ€¦ it turns driving into gaming and challenges your skills against the car’s autonomous system. Imagine a gaming experience which can actually teach a beginner to drive or challenge the experiencedâ€¦ whether you’re a lowbie or a legend, Car Hero takes “getting there” to a whole new level. Getting started is easy. Just enter your destination into the navi app on your smart phone and the car takes care of the rest. It lets you “play along” and try to match the skill level of the system. As you get better, the Car Hero “unlocks” vehicle control to the point where the autonomous system is overridden and you’re in complete control. This is where things get interesting. As the Car Hero gamer demonstrates skill and mastery, the vehicle’s “transmorphable” architecture turns up the intensity by creating an increasingly challenging driving experience. Car Hero’s configuration rewards your skills by gradually changing from a four, to three, to the ultimate challenge, a single wheeled vehicle. Your talent determines how outrageous it gets and where it lets you go. Car Hero also features P2P apps like “Friends Drive” where anyone can come along for a digital joyride, think of it as Twitter with wheels. For those bored and stuck in yet another LA Sigalert, “Fantasy Drive” gives you access to insane environments such as running with the bulls in Pamplona or taking on Ken Block in a drift contestâ€¦ down a black diamond at Mammoth! The experience is up to you. Only question isâ€¦ Are you up for it? Designers:

Frank Saucedo

Thamer Hannona

Shawn Moghadam

Julius Bernardo

Jussi Timonen

Steve Anderson

[Courtesy LA Auto Show]