These Transportation Pods Could Transform Your Future Commute

Tommaso Gecchelin has envisioned a utopian future that’s both completely uniform and totally customizable. The Italian engineer and designer is developing a transportation project he calls Next which consists of modular, energy-efficient pods that will function as a source of on-demand public and private transportation. 

The futuristic self-driving pods share identical dimensions, but can be customized to include a range of seating, entertainment, and food options. They can travel solo or connect to each other to form larger vehicles which look a bit like a streamlined tram. WIRED calls the project a “futuristic cross between Uber and the city bus.” Users will be able to order pods directly to their doorstep using a mobile app, or even hire them to make deliveries.

The project is still in the concept stage, though Gecchelin hopes to get the project running by 2020. But whether or not Next moves from idea to reality, the project is conceptually powerful, providing an alternative vision of the future of transportation. Gecchelin explained this vision to WIRED, noting, “The future of transportation is life in motion.”

To learn more, check out the Next website, or watch the concept video below.

[h/t: WIRED]