Ivresse: Cheers for Autonomous Vehicle
2019.11
#AVRidingExperience #NewMaterial #AutonomousVehicle #ExaltedWithTime
Tools: Rhino, Alias, Keyshot, Photoshop
Reimagining the Autonomous Riding Experience
Autonomous driving brings efficiency—but at what cost to human connection? As cars become self-driving, the riding experience risks becoming passive and isolated. Even today, in fleet-sharing rides, passengers often stare at screens rather than engaging with each other, creating an atmosphere of estrangement rather than enjoyment.
How might we redefine in-car activities to bring back joy, interaction, and shared experiences?
Ivresse transforms the autonomous vehicle into a private-shared space, where memories, conversations, and friendships are cultivated. Inspired by centuries-old traditions of gathering and celebration, this concept blends technology, culture, and material innovation to create a festive experience on the move—where time spent in a vehicle becomes an exalted moment rather than a lost one.
Wisdom from the Winding Stream Party
The design draws inspiration from the Winding Stream Party (流觴曲水), an ancient Chinese tradition dating back over 2,000 years. Participants would sit by a meandering stream, composing poetry as cups of rice wine floated toward them. By the time a cup reached a guest, they had to complete a verse—or drink as a forfeit. This practice was later adopted in Korean and Japanese aristocratic gatherings, where participants composed tanka poetry while waiting for a floating cup of sake to arrive.
This tradition celebrates spontaneity, creativity, and shared experience, all of which are elements that Ivresse integrates into the interior of an autonomous vehicle.
Maglev Cups: Floating Conversations
To recreate the floating cup ritual, Ivresse introduces magnetic levitation (maglev) technology into the cup and table design.
How it Works:
Using the repulsion principle of like magnetic poles, cups seamlessly glide from the bar at the front to the table at the rear, simulating floating on water.
Meanwhile, magnetic attraction ensures stability, preventing the cup from tipping even as the car moves.
This deliberate and playful interaction encourages passengers to engage, share, and celebrate together, much like the flowing wine of ancient traditions.
Why Bamboo? A Sustainable and Cultural Choice
Beyond the interaction, materials matter. Ivresse embraces bamboo, a material deeply rooted in East Asian culture and renowned for its sustainability and elegance.
Bamboo as a Sustainable Building Material
✅ Fast-Growing & Renewable
Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant in the world, capable of growing 40 cm per day.
Unlike wood, bamboo matures in just 2-5 years and can be harvested without killing the plant, making it a highly sustainable resource.
✅ Lightweight Yet Strong
Bamboo has a high strength-to-weight ratio, making it ideal for modular design that requires minimal processing and fewer components.
Naturally resistant to corrosion, it ensures durability without excessive treatment.
✅ Energy-Efficient & Low-Impact
Compared to other materials, bamboo production requires:
🔹 1/8 the energy of concrete
🔹 1/3 the energy of wood
🔹 1/50 the energy of steel
By integrating bamboo into the design, Ivresse not only enhances aesthetic warmth and cultural richness but also aligns with sustainable values for future mobility.
Bamboo & Wine: A Ritual of Aging and Refinement
Bamboo Wine: Naturally Aged, Naturally Pure
Bamboo isn’t just a structural material—it also plays a role in traditional fermentation techniques. Bamboo wine is made by injecting raw rice wine into fresh bamboo culms, allowing it to ferment naturally over six months.
The bamboo infuses the wine with organic flavors, acting as a natural filter.
Unlike conventional fermentation, it requires no additives, fertilizers, or pesticides.
The process converts formaldehyde and ethanol into acetic acid, making the wine smoother and healthier.
This ritual of slow transformation and enrichment over time parallels the way Ivresse turns everyday rides into memorable experiences, where time spent in an autonomous vehicle is valued rather than wasted.
Bamboo Patina: Beauty Enhanced by Touch & Time
Just as bamboo wine evolves over time, bamboo itself ages gracefully, developing a unique patina through touch, oxidation, and exposure to sunlight.
Initially green, bamboo matures into warm tones of gold, brown, and gray, forming a bronze-like luster.
Every touch, every use deepens its character, creating a surface that reflects human interaction and passage of time.
The thicker the patina, the more valuable the bamboo becomes, symbolizing rich experiences and treasured moments.
Just like an antique tea set or a well-worn leather wallet, bamboo furniture in Ivresse evolves, carrying stories of past journeys and shared moments.
Final Thoughts: Celebrating Time in Mobility
Ivresse reimagines the future of autonomous travel—not as a detached, screen-focused experience, but as an opportunity to connect, engage, and celebrate time spent together.
🚗 Autonomy should not just be about efficiency—it should enhance human connection.
🥂 What if a self-driving car could feel like a gathering space, where friendships and memories are brewed over time?
🌿 What if materials aged beautifully, preserving the touch and experiences of those who traveled together?
With Ivresse, we toast to a future where autonomous vehicles don’t just take us places—they create moments worth remembering.