16 February 2006
An all-terrain-adapted ambulance has won Monash Industrial Design honours graduate Adam Ty Dean Smith a design award, to be presented at the Melbourne International Motor Show this weekend.
His hybrid recreational vehicle, called Solace, includes an integrated
tent, foldable beds and a central steering column that improves driver vision.
Solace was judged best design for 'Car of the Future' in the 'Target 2020' awards, open to Australian students and sponsored by the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce. Mr Smith and Monash University each won $3000.
Fellow Monash honours graduate Adrian Marcon also won himself and the university $3000 in the essay category.
Mr Smith's winning entry was a modified version of his fourth year honours project of a futuristic humanitarian ambulance, created in light of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
The Wheels magazine 2005 'Young Designer of the Year' said it was logical to revise the vehicle for more mainstream use.
The retractable surgical tent became a shelter for camping, the medical stretcher beds now used for sleeping, while the rotating seats, originally designed for medical staff to attend to patients, provide multiple seating options.
Mr Smith said it was important to be energy conscious when designing a car for the future. "I specified that it would be a hybrid -- a combination of a combustion engine and an electric motor so it would produce lower emissions and wouldn't use as much fuel," he said. "Solar panels are also integrated into the roof, powering secondary peripherals such as lights, radio and power steering."
Mr Smith, who landed a design internship with Ford after graduating last year, said he was optimistic about designing a real car similar to his design within a few years. "I'm now working on things like the upcoming Falcon," he said. "But there's always scope to try and pitch a bit of out-there stuff."
What: Target 2020 design winners announced. Shortlisted entries currently on display.
Where: Target 2020 stand, Melbourne International Motor Show, Melbourne Exhibition Centre
When: Saturday 18 February, 11am
For more information contact Melissa Marino, Media Communications, on +613 9905 2085 or 0437 121 978. Images of the design are available.
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