The Morflex Concept (‘Morph + Flex’) was Anupam Tomer’s final project for the BA Automotive Design at Coventry School of Art and Design and received a commendation at the Final Degree Show.
The main idea was to design a Bio-Morphic Speedster for the year 2050 that emulates human muscles and biological tissue.
This is achieved through to the application of smart polymer technology that "aims to bring the driver, the racing environment and the car systems closer in natural harmony, creating a higher level of responsiveness and interactivity between them."
As the designer explains, "The design offers a fresher, greener, safer and far more thrilling experience to track racing drivers as well as racing enthusiasts on a racing circuit."
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"The approach to the design language was very thematic that aimed at challenging the current and traditional ways of car design."
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Organic Architectural works from Zaha Hadid Architects formulated the core theme for the brief that was reflected in the interplay of biomorphic structures in the overall design language.
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The smart polymer technology - Electro-Active polymer also known as ‘Artificial Muscles’ - possess reactive properties, similar to those of muscles and the nervous system.
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The technology was deployed in the car structure and systems in accordance with its properties to explore and implement new and interesting applications in the field of automotive design right from changing the visual character of the car to maximising down-force using EAP integrated active spoilers.
Haptic response was another key area of research to help the race car develop its own intelligence with regard to interactivity and responsiveness.
"It was felt important during the design phase to develop a race car that would help sustain the future of track racing through component reduction and miniaturisation using EAP technology that would help reduce overall weight and increase fuel efficiency."
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Anupam Tomer in an Indian national who began his studies in design at BIAD- Birmingham Institute of Art and Design and focussed on Industrial design in 2003.
He then went onto study at Coventry School of Art and Design from 2004 to 2008 and has recently graduated as an Automotive Designer.
His past experiences include an Internship at Land Rover Advanced Design, where he also contributed towards the Land Rover LRX show car.
He has also had an internship at Desmania Design which is an Indian based multi-disciplinary design firm. In 2008 he was amongst the finalists for the Renault InDesign competition sponsored by Autocar magazine.
(Image Courtesy: Anupam Tomer)
