Get Ready For It – The First Self-Driving Hearse
The Concept
The Korbiyor is a futuristic driverless electric hearse mounted on mecanum wheels. It features a refrigerated transparent coffin that can be raised or lowered in the vehicle, a multimedia projector, and a surround sound system.
Background
Nobody likes to think or talk about death, but at some point we will all leave this earth. Why not go out in style? A few companies are currently working on reinventing how we will be remembered, and their work made me think about transporting the deceased to his or her final resting place. In French, a hearse is called a corbillard, hence the name of this concept.
How It Works
The Korbiyor is an all-wheel drive electric vehicle capable of moving in any direction. It features mecanum wheels or ‘Ilon wheels’ after its Swedish inventor, Bengt Ilon, who came up with the idea in 1973. The Korbiyor can slowly rotate and execute maneuvers in tight spots. With its lightweight composite body, it could enter a church and position itself any way it needed to without damaging the floors.
The Korbiyor would be programmed to follow the funeral process leader. A remote control could be used to position it easily and quickly. During the march leading from the funeral home to the church, or the church to the cemetery, it would follow the person walking in front. It could also complete this course by itself by following a certain pre-set path and speed, and it could easily avoid any unforeseen obstacles in its path.
We created a transparent coffin that would be refrigerated by the vehicle’s fuel cell. This way the inside temperature would remain cool even in sunny weather. The coffin could be made of plastic, glass, or any other material. A transparent casket could be interesting if you want people to see the person one last time. The casket would need to respect certain dimensions so it could be lowered inside the vehicle or raised for unloading.
Images or videos could be projected on the floor between the wheels of the vehicle, and the speakers could play music. For example, if the person liked jazz music, the Korbiyor could play jazz and project slides during the procession. These features could also remain inactive if desired.
What’s It Used For?
Obviously there will always be a need for vehicles like the Korbiyor. Funeral processions have been around for thousands of years, and the Korbiyor concept simply tries to imagine how today’s hearses could evolve if you integrate driverless technology, robotics, multimedia, and try to celebrate the departed in a new way.
The Designer
The images of the Korbiyor concept were created by Abhishek Roy. Abhishek is the founder of Lunatic Koncepts, a design lab based in Mumbai India. Abhishek’s team also created the renderings for the Xoupir commuter bus and the BlackBolt suborbital space drone.
