As airports continue to accommodate more jets, air travelers are increasingly becoming burdened with the effects of larger terminals. Travelers of all ages and conditions are under the stress of walking long distances and uncomfortably waiting before boarding or disembarking their flights. They need a more streamlined path to their gates, and a hassle free process of getting on and off their flight in comfort.
By moving planes and ground services away from the terminal and introducing robotic mobile airport gates that transport people out to their planes, travelers will receive an improved experience of shorter walking distances between gates, surplus seating at the terminal, increased leisure time before boarding, and comfortable accommodations during the boarding and disembarking processes.
Design Team.
Jameson Watts
Design Researcher / Graphic / UI Designer
Benjamin Russ
Transportation Industrial Designer
Matthew Schmitt
Industrial Designer / Human Factors
How could we improve the traveler’s experience through an airport while improving efficiency?
Research References.
Naashom Marx
Senior Manager of Strategic Innovation at CVG International Airport
Hannah Meredith
Manager of Terminal Operations at CVG International Airport
Mike Goggins
Active Demo Pilot at Bombardier Inc.
We toured and engaged in in-depth conversation about issues CVG has faced in relation to passenger traffic and transit.
As traveler numbers are diminished, cargo located underneath commercial flights dictate destinations. A need to streamline the packing of passenger planes while allowing passengers to board is a necessary step in the future of flying.
CVG plans on doing a complete airport architecture rework within the next five years.
Opportunities.
Current User Journey.
Analysis of the average current user journey captured through first-hand research at CVG International Airport.
Majority of user pain or stress points occurred from walking to and from terminals with limited time between arrival and departure.
Moving Into the Future.
Emerging autonomy technology utilized by Volvo in their logistics systems project a future interest in large-scale autonomous vehicles.
New technology regarding smaller and more powerful electric motors such as the YASA P400 R make these large vehicles all the more viable.
New airport architecture must change to allow for the move from flights dictated by passenger destinations to cargo destinations.
History.
In places such as Dulles International Airport, Montreal International Airport, and others, mobile lounges have been used to move passengers to and from commercial airliners since the 1960’s.
Past and current uses of the mobile lounge put emphasis on integrating them into current boarding procedures and airport architecture. Over time, a focus on passenger comfort has given way to efficiency of transporting large numbers of occupants.
Each vehicle offers the ability to move passengers to and from their aircraft and raise to the appropriate height to allow them to board.
A reimagined future of travel…
resa: [ r’eisa ] n. Swedish “a journey; trip; voyage”
Proposal.
The Resa Mobile Lounge is an autonomous electric passenger vehicle that is designed to move travelers to and from their flights, thus cutting down on elongated airport architecture and minimizing the stress of travelers through limiting walking distance between flights.
Proposed User Journey.
The improved user journey cuts down on walking distance, letting the user focus on the more important part of their journey: the destination.
Visual Concept.
The Resa Mobile Lounge was designed with Volvo’s brand language in mind. Additionally, projections of how Volvo and Polestar’s brand language may evolve over the next few years following Volvo’s current focus on autonomy and electric vehicles was used to develop the exterior shell of the Resa Mobile Lounge.
Utilization of technology used in other autonomous vehicles, such as Lidar and wire-guidance systems, offer a level of reliable and safe transportation previously not experienced in a modern airport setting.
Interior.
A computer model built in 1:1 scale proved the viability of the spacing for all users and provided the design team with a way to tour the cabin in virtual reality.
Sleek Comfort and Decompression
After the gate has been opened, the Resa Mobile Lounge is ready to be boarded, Travelers scan their boarding passes and enter the vehicle.
Each lounge holds up to 90 passengers comfortably with adjustable seating for multiple demographics. Anchor points and wheelchair accessible walkways make sure that those with disabilities are not left excluded from comfortable travel.
Information previously displayed near terminal waiting areas must be migrated to the interior of the lounge so that travelers have the necessary information for boarding their flight.
Information Displays.
Adaptive Screens.
During daylight hours, the polarized glass screens of the Resa Mobile lounge maintain high-contrast colors.
After the sun sets, the banner displays switch to a dimmer and lower contrast night mode.
Cabin Displays.
Due to the mistrust of full autonomy and the need for scheduled maintenance, the Resa Mobile Lounge offers a standing cabin for an overseer to confirm that it is completing its operations safely and correctly.
The overseer’s displays provide general information about lighting, lithium-ion battery charge, motor speed, lift height, wire guidance system status and others.
Visual Brand.
The Resa Mobile Lounge is an academic project designed in accordance with the University of Cincinnati’s Transportation Design curriculum.
