Sensara

Project information

This project emerged from a personal inquiry into the nature of driving. I realized that the joy of driving a manual car stems not from speed but from physicality. It is the vibration of the engine, the resistance of the pedals, and the rhythm of shifting gears. Driving is a state of alignment where one feels fully embodied and present.

However, the industry push toward screen-based autonomy threatens to numb this sensory landscape. This project was framed within a collaboration with CUPRA responding to a brief titled "Project Aura: The Sentient Journey". The brief challenged us to envision a semi-autonomous interior that functions as a social entity. It urged a move beyond the screen to communicate intelligence and emotion through materiality.

Sensara addresses this by shifting the focus from the eyes to the feet. It explores presence as something sensed through the body. It asks how a vehicle might communicate emotional states through material changes in the floor and how a driver might respond through instinct and barefoot interaction. It proposes a future where the car is not just a tool but a partner we connect with through the ground beneath us.

Methods

I utilized a Research-through-Design approach iterating through introspection, material exploration, and prototyping. The process began with an analysis of presence in motion. Drawing on the analogy of skiing, I identified that true control often comes from the subtle articulation of the feet. It is the shifting of weight and the carving of the terrain rather than large manual gestures that dictate the trajectory. This validated the foot as a sensitive organ for receiving information rather than just a lever for control.

To establish an emotional vocabulary for the vehicle, I conducted blind sensory tests. Participants interacted with various textures such as foil, plastic bricks, water and cotton without visual confirmation to access immediate somatic reactions. We looked for materials that triggered universal visceral responses like the instinct to withdraw, the tension of alertness, or the relaxation of trust.

Based on these insights, I constructed a Sensory Walk prototype. This consisted of four distinct tactile tiles integrated with a digital system that triggered specific soundscapes and lighting conditions as participants stepped onto each texture. This allowed me to simulate a narrative journey where the floor of the vehicle morphs to communicate its internal state.

Result

The final result is an immersive installation that translates the emotional arc of a first drive into a physical journey. The research identified a consistent emotional syntax across four key materials:

1. Foil (Distance): A cold surface representing the machine in a neutral and reserved state.
2. Pipe Beads (Alertness): Sharp and unstable beads that force the foot to tense. This represents a bristled state of disagreement where the car demands the attention of the driver.
3. Slime (Adaptation): A yielding and fluid surface that molds to the foot. This marks the moment of negotiation where the vehicle begins to learn the behavior of the driver.
4. Cotton (Connection): A warm and soft surface representing total alignment and trust where car and driver move as one.

The project validates that the feet possess a dormant emotional intelligence. Participants reacted to the unstable textures with immediate biological alertness. This suggests that discomfort can be a valuable design tool for maintaining presence in autonomous vehicles.

Sensara concludes with a vision for a futuristic cockpit where the traditional pedal box is replaced by a dynamic and morphing floor. In this future, driving becomes a form of carving. It is a symbiotic movement where the driver navigates not by pressing binary levers but by shifting weight and articulating their toes into a sentient terrain.