Ford envisions wheels for the wired family

By Arthur Vaughan

At the 2009 New York International Auto Show, Ford Motor Company (one of Razorfish’s clients) unveiled the Transit Connect Family One Concept. As with much of Ford’s conceptual thinking lately, connectivity assumes as much importance as cargo space or gas mileage.

The production version of Transit Connect is a super-efficient, maneuverable van for small businesses. Family One applies its efficiency and adaptability to your standard American family — loosely defined these days as a couple of parents, two or three kids, a few mp3 players, a laptop or two, a PC, a Blu-Ray player, multiple thumb drives and several other technologies that define their lives. Family One tries to make room for all. Here’s a look.

The next wave in family cars? No wood paneling on the side, no minivan girth, no toddler staring down at you from SUV altitude. But we detect ample room for “honor student” bumper stickers out back.

The Family One’s onboard computer acts as a central hub organizing navigation, communication and entertainment. It syncs up wirelessly with cell phones, mp3 players and other devices.

Building off Ford Work Solutions — a system that lets small business owners keep track of their equipment — Family Works uses the Transit Connect’s onboard computer and RFID tags to keep track of accessories: scooters, helmets, briefcases, backpacks and so on. Family One’s monitor tells you whether your tagged stuff is in the car or not.

The computer also studies a family’s patterns over time, proactively reminding them if they’re forgetting something it expects them to have onboard.

Family One can also tell you if your child safety seat is installed properly or not, using sensors placed on critical parts of the seat.

View from the rear of the van: Note the two projection screens at top. Unlike cars with built-in DVD players, Family One expects you to bring your own device — whatever that may be at the moment. The onboard computer retrieves media through its wireless connection.

Connective technology of the old-school variety: If you’re above pinning an RFID tag on the kids, you can always give them walkie-talkies before they wander off. You can also slather on the sunscreen and scrub up with some hand sanitizer, courtesy of those dispensers at left.

All of this connective technology converts the Family One into a parental command center, with an extendable roof pushing the experience out of doors.

Image credits:
All Transit Connect Family One Concept photos appear courtesy of Ford Motor Co.

comments