CAR FOR TOMORROW

Researchers on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Smart Cities team have developed a concept car designed to deal with the challenges of tomorrow's mega cities, namely congestion, pollution and parking. The 'stackable' electric car would be parked throughout the city, such as outside MTR stations, with users taking the first car out of the stack and depositing it in another stack close to the desired location. 'We have to think of city cars as not just small-footprint vehicles that can squeeze into tight spaces but ones that can work in unison and also be almost like a parasite that leeches on to mass-transit systems,' Smart Cities group architect and engineer Ryan Chin told The Guardian newspaper. The car's omni-directional wheels also contain the 'engine' and self-contained suspension frees up more space in the car for passengers, while the design enables movement in any direction, including crabbing and sideways movement to aid parking. Other features include programmable displays for signalling and customisable dashboards. Seat belts are replaced with 'fingers' to hold the passengers in place if they got involved in an accident. General Motors will build a prototype from the group's final design later this year.