The main front quarter view render showing the design of RÖKTAR CN1 with its many functions. Rendered in blender and touched up on photoshop.
RÖKTAR CN1
Vehicle Concept Design (TD1)
2025
RÖKTAR CN1 was developed within the Healthcare and Public Services scenario, focusing on the challenges facing rural communities in northern Sweden, with Västerbotten as the primary reference context. Early research identified emergency response as a critical gap in which delays have the greatest impact. The design aims to balance functional performance with emotional trust, creating a believable and scalable system that is capable enough to be genuinely useful while still approachable enough to reinforce a sense of safety in remote areas. As the team noted, “We’re not designing a hero... but every hero needs a sidekick.” The resulting proposal, RÖKTAR CN1, is an autonomous emergency response vehicle equipped with an optimised system set for early-stage emergencies. Its integrated sensors and autonomous drone provide immediate scene analysis, high-fidelity data transmission, and guidance for those on site. Fire-response capabilities include a high-pressure water system, autonomous water cannon, and manual extinguishers, while medical equipment, essential tools, emergency power, and compatibility with professional firefighting systems ensure effective intervention and smooth handovers when support arrives.
About the course
Designing the Future of Rural Mobility invites students to act as designers addressing the transport needs of sparsely populated regions. Across ten intensive weeks they explore how compact, electric and potentially autonomous vehicles can support sustainable mobility in northern Sweden. The work is guided by several UN Sustainable Development Goals and encourages students to consider how new solutions can improve accessibility, energy efficiency and quality of life in rural areas.
Students begin with a compact platform designed for efficiency and tough Nordic conditions, then develop vehicle concepts that support people, goods and public services. The proposals are also intended to be adaptable for future urban use. The course combines hand sketching, Photoshop rendering and CAD with AI supported visualisation, allowing students to compare traditional and emerging tools while reflecting on creativity, reliability and ethics in design workflows.
Five opportunity areas shape the project work: on demand rural transport, feeder services to public transport hubs, first and last‑mile goods distribution, healthcare and public service vehicles, and farm to market logistics. Team based scenarios ensure a clear link between user needs and design outcomes.
Collaboration with Rural Living Lab, Luvly and Scania strengthens the connection to real‑world challenges. These partners provide insight into rural mobility systems, lightweight modular platforms, manufacturability, micro mobility regulations, sustainable transport and autonomous logistics. Their involvement ensures that students receive professional feedback and work with relevant and credible contexts.
The course aims to support students in developing sustainable, people centred and forward‑thinking mobility concepts, encouraging curiosity, collaboration and critical reflection throughout the process.
Christopher Nõmmann
Master's Programme in Transportation Design
Castellano Clément
Master's Programme in Transportation Design
Action shot 01 shows the RÖKTAR CN1 in action of autonomously fighting fire with its watercannon. There is also a person who has been dispensed a thermal cover due to the weather.
Action shot 02 shows RÖKTAR autonomously rushing to an emercency.
Shows the community interacting with both RÖKTAR concepts in their „passive“ state.
Shows the lighting of the vehicle in action.
Shows the main functions of the autonomous vehicle. The communication interface, the fire emergency equipment access, the medical equipment access and the supplementary tool access.
The keysketch is displayed in the center and the surrounding sketches showcase some of the process.
Storyboard
Interior
Exterior
Lighting
