Design in Motion: Inside the World's Leading Developments in Transportation

Stefanie Waldek

We often live our lives on the go. In our day-to-day routine, most of us commute to work, run errands, and visit family and friends. And on vacation, too, we’re usually on the move—in some cases, we use transportation as a means to get to a destination, but in others, the transportation itself is the trip. Our world is highly connected by massive networks of planes, trains, ships, and cars, without which our lives would vastly change. That’s why designers and engineers are continually innovating, creating new vehicles and technology to make the act of motion easier, more comfortable, and more fun for passengers—and better for the Earth, too.

Though the cost of transportation is going down overall, making travel more accessible to more people, there’s still a great demand for luxury experiences, and there have been impressive developments in this sector. Airlines are crafting high-design cabins that offer excellent hospitality—take All Nippon Airways’ new first-class suites by Kengo Kuma and Acumen, for instance, where guests can relax in spacious accommodations inspired by luxury hotels, watch a movie on a personal 43-inch 4K screen, and sleep in plush bedding by Kyoto Nishikawa. Leisure train routes are also dominating the luxury market, from the Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to the new Great Southern train in Australia. Think cruising might be left behind? Think again. Virgin Voyages, Sir Richard Branson’s foray into the industry, launches next year with the Scarlet Lady, a lavish ship with spaces by star designers such as Roman and Williams and Tom Dixon. And numerous cruise lines are investing in ultra-luxe small-scale expedition ships that function more as super-yachts, with toys like helicopters and submarines included.

In a radical departure from the mega-ships that sail the Caribbean, the next generation of ocean cruising is all about small-scale ships sailing to large-scale destinations in the form of luxurious expedition yachts. Scenic’s Scenic Eclipse, pictured here, was one of the first such ships to launch, setting sail in August.

On the less flashy front, transportation technology continues to improve, making travel not only more convenient, but also safer across industries. Aircraft company Sikorsky has developed an autopilot system for helicopters, making one of the most challenging modes of transportation quite a bit easier for pilots. Trains are moving faster than ever before, soon reaching speeds of more than 250 miles per hour. And cars are becoming extensions of our smart homes, with artificial intelligence systems like Amazon Alexa being included in their software.

But perhaps the most important innovations in transportation design have to do with the industry’s push for eco-initiatives, such as making the jump to electric vehicles. In June, the world’s first all-electric plane made its debut at the Paris Air Show, and today, all-electric water taxis were being tested on the Seine. Even ocean liners are switching to greener energy sources, with the world’s first hybrid-powered cruise ship, the MS Roald Amundsen, setting sail this year. And while cars have long had their hand in the electric-propulsion game, they’re getting faster and stronger by the day—both Porsche and Lotus have just designed their first all-electric sports cars, the Taycan and Evija, respectively.

Transportation design evolves every single day at a rate that can be difficult to keep up with, but here, you can discover what designers and engineers have been developing across air, land, and sea.

AVIATION

When you’re flying at cruising altitude, sipping Champagne, and watching the latest Hollywood flick on your personal touchscreen television, it’s hard to believe that modern aviation has only existed for just over a century. But since the Wright brothers took their first flight in 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the field has grown immensely. In the realm of commercial aviation, airlines are looking to make flying as comfortable as possible—at least for business-class travelers. Today, an in-air experience is more akin to a stay at a hotel, with airlines developing private suites with doors in their cabins, as well as social spaces like bars and lounges where passengers can congregate.

On the technical side, advancements are being made with regards to sustainability, especially with the debut of Israeli aeronautical firm Eviation’s nine-seat commuter plane, Alice—the world’s first all-electric aircraft. And for helicopters, a new autopilot system is making flying safer and easier than ever before.

Design in Motion: Aviation

Privacy is key. While luxury travelers who book business-class plane tickets are treated to extra space, fine dining, and quality service, there’s still often a lack of privacy. But suites with doors are becoming more common, offering passengers a more private experience. A number of airlines have had private first-class suites for about a decade, but only a handful have business-class suites, including Delta, JetBlue, and Qatar. All Nippon Airways (ANA) is the latest airline to debut a business-class suite with doors, partnering with Japanese designer Kengo Kuma and British design firm Acumen to create a “home away from home,” as the airline describes its new cabins. If you’re traveling with a companion, don’t worry—the two seats between the aisles have a partition that can be lowered in order to share the space.
It’s finally time to go electric, at least for commuter flights. As critics question the environmental impact of flying, innovators are looking to build small all-electric aircraft for regional flights. Israeli aviation company Eviation is leading the charge, having debuted a prototype of Alice, the world’s first all-electric aircraft, at the Paris Air Show in June. In order to compensate for the weight of the electric propulsion systems, the plane is built with incredibly lightweight composite materials. Eviation will start test flights in 2020 with the goal of achieving FAA certification by 2021 for a 2022 rollout to its first customer, Massachusetts-based Cape Air, which placed an order earlier this year.
New self-piloting technology makes flying helicopters a breeze. Flying a helicopter is typically no small task, but with a new autopilot system being developed by Sikorsky, an aircraft company that’s part of Lockheed Martin, it might become easier than flying a drone. The goal of the Matrix Technology program is to make flying a helicopter easier and safer, allowing pilots to focus on tasks other than keeping the aircraft stable, such as performing rescue operations or transporting heavy loads. Matrix is currently fully operational in a research helicopter, and the technology will be implemented into the Black Hawks built by Sikorsky for the U.S. Army as soon as next year. Though it’s not quite ready to do so, Matrix Technology perhaps could one day be used for flying cars or autonomous helicopter taxis.
Meet the new “window” seat. Recently, Emirates debuted its new first-class cabin aboard the Boeing 777: a collection of six suites with floor-to-ceiling doors for maximum privacy. The layout features two suites on each side of the cabin, plus two “middle” suites with cabin’s most innovative feature: virtual windows. In an industry first, cameras mounted on the sides of the plane relay real-time images to screens that are the same dimensions as the plane’s window, creating an authentic feel. The only difference is that the screens provide even clearer images than what you’d normally see with the naked eye. To this day, Emirates is the only airline to employ the use of virtual windows, but given the glowing reviews of the product, we wouldn’t be surprised to see this technology becoming more commonplace soon.
You are free to move about the cabin. In the golden days of aviation, plenty of space aboard a plane was reserved for congregating—on Boeing 747s, for instance, the upper deck was often designed as a lounge or a restaurant. As technology changed and the economy shifted, most available space on planes became dedicated to ticketed seats. But Emirates, Qatar, Korean Air, Etihad, Virgin Australia, and Virgin Atlantic still offer bars and lounges, primarily for business- or first-class passengers aboard their largest planes (oftentimes the Airbus A380). Just last month, Virgin Atlantic debuted “The Loft,” a lounge the airline claims is “the largest social space in the sky,” aboard its new Airbus A350.

TRAINS

Contemporary train travelers are divided into two major camps: those seeking the convenience of a high-speed rail network, and those taking it slow on legacy luxury routes. It comes as little surprise that Japan is still a leader in the bullet train space—its latest Shinkansen model debuts next year, though engineers are already testing the next train, which would become the world’s fastest. The United States has finally stepped into the high-speed game with a private rail that connects three South Florida cities, though at just a fraction of the speed of what exists in Europe and Japan.

As for those seeking the nostalgia of glamorous long-haul train travel, there’s been a resurgence in ultra-luxe trains, like the iconic Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which is launching three new (and incredibly opulent) grand suites in 2020, or the Great Southern in Australia, a new transcontinental leisure train exploring both nature and cities between Adelaide and Brisbane.

Design in Motion: Trains

The United States finally develops a high-speed rail network. The U.S. has long been beleaguered by an aging rail system that’s shared by both passenger and freight trains. But in 2018, the first privately owned and operated high-speed system, the Brightline (soon to be renamed Virgin Trains USA, thanks to a partnership with Sir Richard Branson’s empire) opened its first line in Florida, connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. That line is scheduled to be extended to Orlando in 2022, and a new line connecting Las Vegas and Southern California is also in the works.
Japan is still paving the way—at great speeds. Japan became the first nation to create a high-speed rail network, the Shinkansen, in 1964, and the country is still innovating in the realm of bullet trains. The latest model, the Shinkansen N700S, will hit the rails in time for the 2020 Olympics, offering passengers a smoother, quieter, and more energy-efficient journey. But it’s the next generation of bullet trains that will be one for the record books—literally. The ALFA-X train will be the fastest in the world, reaching speeds of 268 miles per hour. It’s currently undergoing testing and set to debut in 2030.
Classic slow-travel luxury is still in demand. While the high-speed rail networks are great for commuters and leisure travelers strapped for time, scenic rail routes are still quite popular in the luxury market. The Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, for instance, is debuting three new grand suites in 2020—a one-night journey in one will cost about $7,800—expanding upon the three that already exist on the train. In Australia, a new luxury train, the Great Southern, joins such classics The Ghan and the Indian Pacific, with its inaugural journey between Adelaide and Brisbane taking place this December.
Trains are taking a cue from planes with lie-flat beds. For some rail lines, having a train large enough to accommodate a full sleeper car isn’t a possibility—for Queensland Rail’s Spirit of Queensland train, which connects Brisbane and Cairns, the solution was to emulate business-class seats on airplanes. “Queensland Rail operates on a narrow-gauge railway, and the rail beds were designed to maximize space on board while still providing customers with a high level of comfort,” says Martin Ryan, the railway’s executive general manager of travel and tourism.

AUTOMOBILES

The promise of flying cars has been around for decades, but the time has come for them to start rolling off the assembly lines—several companies are taking pre-orders for the first vehicles. But keep your expectations low, as they’re more like helicopters than a cruiser from Star Wars. Instead, the bigger innovations are in your standard ground vehicles. Faster, sleeker, and more powerful electric cars (and motorcycles) are in the works, as are driverless electric shuttles that seek to change the landscape of urban mobility. And the user-facing tech inside cars has changed, too, like the implementation of all-digital dashboards and controls—and their integration with Amazon Alexa.

Design in Motion: Automobiles

Digital controls are creating a movement towards minimalism. As dashboards and consoles move from analog to digital, car interiors are taking on more streamlined, minimalist aesthetics. Tesla, with its large touchscreen control panel, was one of the first to fully embrace the trend, but we’ve seen digital controls expand in the market. The Audi A8L, for instance, has multiple touchscreen panels (there are even entertainment systems in the back seats) and a sleek tech-inspired interior.
The all-electric trend is expanding. The desire to go greener has rooted itself deeply in the automotive industry, with quite a variety of new electric cars on the market. In July, British automaker Lotus introduced the Evija, its first all-electric vehicle that’s also one of the most powerful in the world, while in September, Porsche debuted the Taycan, the brand’s first all-electric sports car. Harley-Davidson even put its foot in the electric game, producing its first all-electric motorcycle, the LiveWire.
Driverless shuttles are here to bring you from A to B. Though driverless cars are hitting quite a few hurdles in their testing phases, a potential step forward into the world of autonomous vehicles might be the electric shuttle. A number of companies around the world, perhaps most notably Boston-based Optimus Ride, are testing prototypes of driverless shuttles that operate on fixed routes, just like a train or a tram. Unlike cars, the shuttles travel at relatively slow speeds, which allows them to stop sooner if something goes wrong. For now, the shuttles are being tested with human drivers on board in cities across the United States, but Optimus Ride hopes to move to full autonomy soon.
Alexa, what’s the traffic look like? Artificial intelligence has moved from the home into the car space. Audi has already integrated Amazon’s Alexa into its e-tron, while General Motors is rolling out an update that allows any of its cars from 2018 models onward to add Alexa to its control system. Though cars have long had voice-control capabilities, studies show that consumers feel most comfortable with a system that they already use—in this case, Alexa. Drivers can ask Alexa to play music, offer navigation, or even turn on the lights in the house as they pull into the garage.
Flying cars are getting ready to launch. We’re nowhere near a Jetsons-like world where flying cars are the norm, but multiple models are final on the verge of hitting the market. PAL-V’s Liberty Pioneer Edition is currently available for preorder, with an estimated delivery date between 2020 and 2021. And aerial vehicle company Opener claims to have its BlackFly vehicle on the market this year. It’s important to note that both of these “flying cars” are more like small helicopters or large drones rather than cars that can fly—that kind of technology likely won’t be available for at least another decade.

BOATS

Cruising is undergoing a renaissance, with cruise lines’ priorities, and therefore their products, changing greatly. Virgin Voyages, for instance, is moving away from families and retirees for its target demographic, going for vivacious, young-at-heart adults instead—a major shift in the industry. And numerous companies are focusing their efforts on developing smaller ships, in particular, luxury expedition yachts.

“Crystal has seen an increased demand in expedition cruising over the past few years, most likely prompted by luxury travelers clamoring for more active adventure experiences encouraging in-depth exploration in far-flung destinations such as the Northeast Passage,” says Mark Spillane, director of sales and marketing for Crystal Yacht & Expedition Cruises. The line’s upcoming expedition ship, Crystal Endeavor, will be making that famed journey in 2021, as one of a number of luxury expedition yachts that will sail for remote ports over the next few years.

But environmentalism is a great concern. “The shipping industry needs to understand and acknowledge that they cannot bring more pollution and more risk to areas that need less,” says Daniel Skjeldam, CEO of Hurtigruten, a line that has just launched the world’s first hybrid-powered cruise ship.“We hope to inspire change, since change is long overdue in shipping.” Sustainability efforts, however, aren’t limited to large vessels. French start-up SeaBubbles is ready to start production on its fleet of all-electric boats that will serve as water taxis around the world. Though sailing is one of the oldest means of transportation out there, there’s still room for plenty of change.

Design in Motion: Boats

Ocean cruising gets a major facelift. Sir Richard Branson has his hands in many industries, but one of his most disruptive projects to date will be his introduction into ocean cruising through Virgin Voyages. The ships are specifically geared toward fun-loving adults (in fact, the whole line is adults-only) who will enjoy on-board activities like a drag brunch and a tattoo parlor—in essence, it’s more of a lifestyle hotel than it is a cruise. For its first vessel, the Scarlet Lady, Virgin tapped legendary design firms to create its spaces, including AD100 firm Roman and Williams, which created the outdoor lounge, The Dock, and its indoor counterpart, The Dock House. “We chose to work with designers who had never worked in the cruise industry before so that we could bring a fresh perspective to how life at sea could look and feel,” says Dee Cooper, senior vice president of design and customer experience at Virgin Voyages. “Roman and Williams outshone all expectations with their beautiful yet relaxed design of The Dock and Dock House. Inspired by the bohemian island adventures, glamorous yet understated, the natural palettes and simple details complement the ocean.”
It’s not about super-yachts—it’s about their high-end toys. Sure, private yachts can always be built bigger and sleeker, but those details are old hat. Now, it’s all about stuffing those super-yachts with the latest and greatest toys, from helicopters to jetpacks to speedboats. “We have a project—concept only at this stage—which is all about deploying toys, specifically a submarine,” says Dickie Bannenberg of Bannenberg and Rowell, an iconic super-yacht design firm. Project Echo is an adventure support yacht complete with a helipad, speedboat, and, yes, a submarine, that the firm conceptualized with builder Echo Yachts, Triton Submarines, and naval architects Incat Crowther. But the boat could even be considered a toy itself: The marketing deck suggests that it could be used as a support vessel for an even larger super-yacht.
Cruising is notoriously bad for the environment, but it might not be for much longer. Cruise ships are fuel-guzzling beasts, which means they’re not particularly great for the environment. But times are changing, with ships focusing more on sustainability efforts. This summer, the MS Roald Amundsen, part of Hurtigruten’s fleet, made its inaugural voyage as the world’s first hybrid-powered expedition ship, boasting a propulsion system that reduces its fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent. “Our ultimate goal is to operate completely emission-free,” says Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam. “This is the first major step.”
Skip the traffic jams with an all-electric water taxi. Most major cities are built on rivers or the sea, but very few utilize waterways as a major mode of transportation. French start-up SeaBubbles seeks to change that with its all-electric “flying” boats, or hydrofoils, which are designed to be used as affordable, environmentally friendly water taxis. The prototypes are currently being tested on the Seine in Paris, and the company’s first customers are set to receive their orders as early as next year. For now, SeaBubbles is selling five-person vessels (that count includes the pilot) that can run for two-and-a-half hours on a 35-minute charge. But its technology is scalable, and it’s looking to design a much larger water ferry next.
River cruising gets an upgrade. The contemporary European river cruise with its long, flat silhouette has not had a major design innovation in quite some time, but that all changed with the launch of AmaWaterways’ AmaMagna on the Danube this year. The ship is twice as wide as standard river cruises, allowing for double the amount of interior space—thus its suites are the largest afloat on any European river. The ship also has room for a wider selection of facilities, from four dining options to a boutique to a full wellness center.
Cruisers want to sail to the edges of the map without sacrificing luxury. In a radical departure from the mega-ships that sail the Caribbean, the next generation of ocean cruising is all about small-scale ships sailing to large-scale destinations in the form of luxurious expedition yachts. Scenic’s Scenic Eclipse was one of the first such ships to launch, setting sail in August of this year. The super-yacht, which holds just 228 passengers, can sail anywhere in the world, including the polar regions, bringing with it its trove of yacht-like toys, including two helicopters and a submarine. Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Endeavor will be one of the next luxury expedition yachts to debut, in August 2020—the ship will carry 200 passengers, have helicopters and a submarine, and serve celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s cuisine on board. But not all new luxury expedition yachts are so ostentatious. The 15-cabin Aqua Blu by Aqua Expeditions is a refurbished British Royal Navy ship designed to sail exclusively in East Indonesia. It will make its maiden voyage in November.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest