Friday, September 7, 2007
Natalie Bonebrake has plans for the future. In 20 to 30 years she envisions a problem of overpopulated cities and a need for more efficient and environmental-friendly transportation.
Natalie Bonebrake, Topeka senior, and Shane Ball, Hillsboro senior, work together in the Industrial Design studio. Bonebrake and Ball worked together on their design "Zero-Impact Urban Mobility" for the Interior Motives Design Awards competition.
Her solution to those problems? The “Zero-Pod.”
Bonebrake, Topeka senior and industrial design major, and design partner Shane Ball, Lawrence resident, created a futuristic design called “Zero-Impact Urban Mobility.” The design recommended a transport system with one-man cars — or pods — running from station to station. The pods would connect to a rail system and users would travel about the city similar to how a train or subway system did but with no localized emissions.
“I thought it was a very cool plan,” she said.
The design was one of 50 that competed in the fifth-annual Interior Motives Design Awards, which focuses on interior automotive design. For the project, Bonebrake did the modeling and Ball performed the designing, researching and Photoshop work.
“We worked together on everything from the start,” said Ball, who is currently working for MHT Luxury Alloys, a wheel and accessory company. He said at first the project was a little out of his liking.
“My interests are in custom cars and motorcycles,” Ball said.
Although their design didn’t get chosen for the final round of the competition, the two received free tickets to the awards show, which takes place Sept. 12 in Frankfurt, Germany. But Bonebrake and Ball are unable to attend the awards show.
“I am more than satisfied with our successes in this competition,” Ball said. “I was clearly out of my element in this as the concept is intended to be idealistic, bucking reality and convention.”
Bonebrake said that although their design was cutting-edge, the concept could eventually become a reality.
“I feel that it is quite possible,” she said. “Maybe not for today’s world, but a cool concept to work towards.”
Bonebrake and Ball worked on their project as part of Lance Rake’s “Problems in Industrial Design” class last spring.
“Between the two of us, we had the skill-sets needed to complete the project,” Bonebrake said.
And Bonebrake offered advice for those like her and Ball, who have talent, innovation and foresight to believe their designs could someday go from concept to creation.
“Take one day at a time,” she said. “And persistence pays off. When I start a project I like to think, ‘How would you add value?’ And I go from there.”
— Edited by Kyle Carter
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