This Tron-Inspired Concept Vehicle Looks Like a Fully Autonomous Bean

It’s known as the LDR (long distance rover) designed by Luke Mastrangelo. The inspiration behind the project, which is still a work in progress, was to deal with the current worldwide health crisis. It’s supposed to offer an alternative to traveling in a society where everything is contaminated. Although, I would much rather see this design in a futuristic movie like Bladerunner or maybe even Tron.

Sure, it looks like a bean, but this sleek and futuristic design is more like that bean from Jack and the Giant Beanstalk. Show up to a quarantine party with this thing, and you won't want to get out of it. It has quite an odd effect. First, it’s meant to protect you from germs and other microbes, yet once other people see it, they’ll just flock to it like moths to a flame and want to touch these sensuous curves. I wonder if it has an electric shock system built into its frame. Never mind that thought!

So, what we can see is that this concept has all of the characteristics and potential to actually end up on the streets. Maybe not so much in the U.S., but I think that some Yakuza boss will probably tickle from this one.

Recently, people have been switching to different, more personal individual transportation methods as is the case with the Ryno, or the V-dub Cityskater. Cramped commute routes and current societal conditions are the reason behind this design.

Design wise, the LDR is an aerodynamic dream. Just imagine it in a wind tunnel. That huge front tire forces all the air to flow smoothly over the front of the ride, where the sides and top of the LDR are just waiting to move that air toward the back and lay it gently right back where it was found. I don’t even need to see it in a wind tunnel to understand this baby is smooth.

Another benefit of the design is the elimination of any sort of trinkets our modern cars may have: no side mirrors, no windshield wipers, nothing, further improving the aerodynamics and even possible cost of maintaining such a vehicle.

The LDR design is made to offer as much space as possible within the enclosed shell, protecting the rider even from possible accidents. But, now the question is how do you see where you’re going? Well, you don’t need to. The LDR is designed to be fully autonomous. Using an array of components all around the vehicle, she’s able to map the terrain and offer you a safe journey while you tend to your Instagram page.

Front and rear mounted cameras offer a full analysis of road conditions as far as the eye would see, and a radar system for the things your eye can’t. Another system used in the navigation of autonomous vehicles are circumferential sensors that detect nearby objects. The LDR is no exception to that rule, and is able to navigate without fault through a diverse number of traffic and road conditions.

To get into this pod, a gull-wing door swings upward to present you with nothing more than a seat. No on screen navigation or anything of this sort would be needed, as these types of vehicles connect directly to you through your own personal device. Usually destinations are all preset.

Such tech would be bringing a whole new level of logistics to our seemingly crowded streets, so what’s the hold-up?