AI self-driving space car 'NIO EDEN' slides open to reveal generous spa-ambient interior

NIO EDEN designed by student

For his Master’s thesis at Hochschule Pforzheim University, then-student Joonyoung Koo designs the concept Project EDEN, a space car inspired by artificial intelligence and self-driving cars. ‘Project EDEN addresses how a vehicle can bring people’s freedom back within the NIO brand philosophy and design aesthetics, making a new relationship between humans, nature, and artificial intelligence,’ says Koo.

From afar, the autonomous, low-level hypercar lightly bends on the roof before ending at an open-lip front design. LED lighting injected into the car part lines the hood of the car, its white light blasting a sharp glow to shed light on the surroundings, quite literally. While the exterior may stun the onlookers from its aesthetics, Koo fuses the doors and sunroof into a wide entrace that slides open to reveal the spacious and spa-like interior of NIO EDEN.

images courtesy of Joonyoung Koo

AI self-driving space car in soft pink

Joonyoung Koo zeroes in on having his front and rear fenders move horizontally rather than installing gull-winged or flapped-open doors. Through his approach, the doors, windows, and sunroof are fused into a single mechanism. With a single click, the doors slide open, and the moment it unveils the inside, two reclined seats greet the passengers. Doused in soft pink, the interior rouses an inviting atmosphere to begin with.

Between the cinema-looking seats, a rollable globe emerges. Koo imagines it as NIO EDEN’s control and shift, a switch between an immersive driving experience and a parked lazing-about respite. ‘In the genesis of humanity, humankind was fully integrated with mother earth, enjoying endless mobile freedom in infinite flat space. This initial form of nomadic life was the concept of primal mobility for humanity, which has been carved into our DNA as one of the primitive instincts,’ says Koo, who now works as an Exterior Designer for NIO.

Drawn upon this description, no wonder Koo wants an open space for NIO EDEN. He wants the passengers to let nature spill inside and outside, to enclose them in a viewing space where they can look out from the inside, experiencing both the high-tech features of his space car and the natural offerings of the surroundings. Powered by AI, NIO EDEN epitomizes the visible sync between nature, design, technology, and people.