WEBVTT - The Art and Science of Designing a Car 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:08.840 This episode of tech Stuff is sponsored by Nissan. Welcome 0:00:08.840 --> 0:00:17.239 to tech Stuff a production from iHeartRadio. Hey there, and 0:00:17.480 --> 0:00:21.200 welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, Jonathan Strickland. I'm 0:00:21.239 --> 0:00:24.720 an executive producer with iHeartRadio and How the tech are 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:29.200 you Now. I don't often spend much time on this 0:00:29.320 --> 0:00:33.839 show talking about the actual design process when it comes 0:00:33.880 --> 0:00:38.879 to tech. I might talk about discoveries and innovations, or 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:42.120 ways that people figured out how to take an innovation 0:00:42.680 --> 0:00:46.280 and then make a product based on it. I've also 0:00:46.320 --> 0:00:50.599 talked about how developments like three D printing aka additive 0:00:50.680 --> 0:00:57.040 manufacturing have revolutionized tech by streamlining the process from going 0:00:57.480 --> 0:01:02.160 from the concept to the physical. Mena festation of that concept, 0:01:02.520 --> 0:01:07.800 But what goes into actually designing a product? So in 0:01:07.800 --> 0:01:11.800 this episode, using our sponsor Nissan as the model, I 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:15.959 thought I would talk about the design process for a vehicle. 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:19.880 And just like your typical vehicle, there are a lot 0:01:19.920 --> 0:01:24.800 of moving parts. Designers and engineers have to take into account, 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:29.200 everything from the technical specifications of the engine to the 0:01:29.319 --> 0:01:32.759 ergonomics of the cabin. In some cases it might mean 0:01:32.840 --> 0:01:36.039 tweaking an older design, and others it could literally be 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:39.280 a case of going back to the drawing board now, y'all. 0:01:39.840 --> 0:01:42.960 I believe in being transparent with my episodes. When I 0:01:43.000 --> 0:01:45.880 was approached with the opportunity to work with Nissan to 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:50.440 talk about the art and science of design, I got excited. 0:01:51.040 --> 0:01:54.680 See the auto industry in general, a Nissan in particular, 0:01:54.760 --> 0:01:58.640 have known that design is absolutely critical. You have to 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:02.880 create a design that resonates with people. And because we're 0:02:02.920 --> 0:02:07.520 talking about a vehicle that carries real life human beings, 0:02:07.920 --> 0:02:10.520 you need it to be safe. You need to be secure, 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:13.680 and you need it to be compelling. The experience of 0:02:13.800 --> 0:02:17.160 using the technology needs to be a positive one. A 0:02:17.160 --> 0:02:19.800 lot of us spend a whole lot of time in 0:02:19.840 --> 0:02:24.880 our vehicles, and if that time is uncomfortable or unsatisfying, well, 0:02:24.960 --> 0:02:29.360 that can translate into poor sales. When you consider how 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:33.040 much money goes into the development and then the manufacturing 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:36.160 of a vehicle, you start to see how large a 0:02:36.280 --> 0:02:41.440 challenge it is to design something that checks all the boxes. Plus, 0:02:41.840 --> 0:02:45.560 I'm not gonna lie. Brie Larsen is a spokesperson for Nissan. 0:02:45.840 --> 0:02:48.320 She hosts a lot of videos that give an overview 0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:52.760 of the company's design philosophy and processes, and I hoped 0:02:52.800 --> 0:02:54.880 I could land her for an episode of tech Stuff, 0:02:55.680 --> 0:02:59.519 but it turns out she's busy with something called the Marvels. 0:02:59.800 --> 0:03:02.200 So my plans to have her on the show while 0:03:02.240 --> 0:03:04.480 I talk about how great she was, and Scott Pilgrim 0:03:04.720 --> 0:03:08.680 kind of went nowhere. That being said, Bri, You're welcome 0:03:08.720 --> 0:03:15.160 on the show anytime. So let's talk about design in Nissan. 0:03:15.560 --> 0:03:18.280 So over the years we can see trends come and 0:03:18.320 --> 0:03:22.440 go with the auto industry. Some of those trends might 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:26.760 seem kind of puzzling when viewed by today's driver. So, 0:03:26.880 --> 0:03:30.920 for example, in the nineteen seventies and the nineteen eighties, 0:03:30.960 --> 0:03:34.960 the years of my childhood, there was a tendency for 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:39.440 vehicles to have really boxy designs with lots of sharp 0:03:39.560 --> 0:03:43.440 angles and flat surfaces. Finding a curve incorporated into a 0:03:43.520 --> 0:03:46.200 vehicle in those days was rare unless you were looking 0:03:46.240 --> 0:03:51.400 at luxury vehicles. It's not like cars from older generations 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:54.920 were all boxy. If you go further back, classic cars 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:58.000 had beautiful curves worked into them, So you might be 0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:01.720 tempted to think that there was some practical reason for 0:04:01.840 --> 0:04:04.720 the seventies and eighties vehicles to go with these sharp 0:04:04.760 --> 0:04:08.200 angles and straight lines like maybe it was easier to 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:11.920 manufacture vehicles that way or something, but really a big 0:04:12.000 --> 0:04:15.800 reason for the change was simply that in America, tastes 0:04:15.920 --> 0:04:20.880 were changing. The boxy cars were bigger, with more interior space. 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:24.920 There wasn't so much concern about not taking up too 0:04:24.960 --> 0:04:28.720 much room, and gas was cheap in the early seventies, 0:04:28.760 --> 0:04:31.640 so there was less of a consumer push for vehicles 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:35.719 to have aerodynamic designs and to really emphasize things like 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:39.160 fuel economy. So we got an era of big, powerful, 0:04:39.200 --> 0:04:43.599 boxy cars because that's what people wanted. However, toward the 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:47.120 second half of that span of time, the boxy cars 0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:50.000 got a lot smaller because the world went through an 0:04:50.000 --> 0:04:53.400 oil crisis. The story behind that is a complicated one. 0:04:53.680 --> 0:04:55.760 But while the cars were smaller, they were still kind 0:04:55.760 --> 0:04:58.560 of boxy, and it wasn't until the mid nineteen eighties 0:04:58.640 --> 0:05:02.640 that companies began to introduce curved lines in car bodies 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:07.960 again for American drivers, and the change proved to be popular. 0:05:08.480 --> 0:05:12.400 So one major part of design is common sense. You 0:05:12.480 --> 0:05:16.839 need to design something that appeals to people. Now, maybe 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:20.479 you're following a trend, something that you already know people want, 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:25.839 because well, that's what they're buying already, or maybe you're 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:29.200 taking a risk and you're creating a design that is 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:33.479 outside the norm with the hope that your work will 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:37.240 become the new trend. In the tech world, we've seen 0:05:37.279 --> 0:05:39.760 a few of these moments where a company introduces a 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:44.480 product that doesn't fit a mold, but then defines a 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:48.600 new mold. It is hard to do, but when it works, 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:53.440 buckle up. Of course, the design of a vehicle goes 0:05:53.640 --> 0:05:58.760 beyond esthetics. There are practical considerations as well, whether it 0:05:58.839 --> 0:06:03.000 is reducing drag to increase fuel efficiency, adjusting the size 0:06:03.080 --> 0:06:05.200 because you plan to put a larger engine under the 0:06:05.240 --> 0:06:08.080 hood and you can't do it if it's too small, 0:06:08.640 --> 0:06:11.280 or you have this crazy idea to incorporate some of 0:06:11.320 --> 0:06:16.080 the features of an suv into a sedan, something Nissan 0:06:16.120 --> 0:06:19.960 has actually done in the past. Those decisions will guide 0:06:20.160 --> 0:06:25.560 a lot of future decisions. It's a marriage of practicality 0:06:26.080 --> 0:06:30.760 and art that goes into industrial design, then a balance that, 0:06:31.200 --> 0:06:34.960 when it is done right, produces a vehicle that performs 0:06:35.040 --> 0:06:38.640 in a delightful way while looking amazing. As it does 0:06:38.680 --> 0:06:42.080 so with some models, just the appearance of the vehicle 0:06:42.200 --> 0:06:44.320 gives you an impression of what it must be like 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:48.400 to drive it, or to paraphrase my buddy Carl, it's 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:52.119 going fast, we'll stay in still still what is run deep? 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:58.240 But how the heck does this process all start? Well, 0:06:58.279 --> 0:07:01.760 typically a vehicle starts in a way that might not 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:06.520 seem that exciting. It starts as a business plan. So 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:09.960 if you were to look at a vehicle at the 0:07:10.160 --> 0:07:14.640 very earliest stages of development, you wouldn't see a vehicle 0:07:14.720 --> 0:07:17.600 at all. You wouldn't see a picture, you wouldn't see 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:20.760 a sketch. What you would see would likely be a 0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:24.160 spreadsheet with a whole bunch of numbers on it. But 0:07:24.240 --> 0:07:28.320 those numbers represent a goal and the journey to that goal. 0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:32.760 That's where all the cool stuff happens. One early consideration 0:07:32.880 --> 0:07:37.240 designers must make is how the driver is going to 0:07:37.520 --> 0:07:42.400 use this vehicle. What is the purpose of the vehicle itself, 0:07:42.680 --> 0:07:45.840 apart from just taking someone from point A to point B. 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:49.360 Is it meant to be a commuter car? Where someone's 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:52.160 going to be taking this vehicle every single day to 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:55.760 and from work and shopping and entertainment and all sorts 0:07:55.800 --> 0:07:59.800 of things. Is it something that's designed for off road adventures? 0:08:00.320 --> 0:08:03.560 A vehicle that needs a lot of cargo space. These 0:08:03.640 --> 0:08:07.600 are questions that will guide teams of designers. They land 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:11.200 a little bit more on the practical side of considerations, 0:08:11.600 --> 0:08:13.960 and they guide designers so that they can follow the 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:18.320 best path, one that doesn't compromise on the vehicle's purpose. 0:08:18.960 --> 0:08:22.480 But that's a pretty broad set of guidelines. Beyond that, 0:08:23.080 --> 0:08:25.880 designers look at all sorts of objects to get inspiration 0:08:26.120 --> 0:08:30.560 for a vehicle's design. For example, when designing the twenty 0:08:30.640 --> 0:08:35.280 twenty three Nissan Z a sports car, Nissan's team looked 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:39.680 at the curves of a samuraized sword as part of 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:44.200 their inspiration. They saw how light would play across the 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:47.880 blade and use that to guide them when designing part 0:08:48.000 --> 0:08:51.440 of the vehicle's body. And knowing that this was a 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:54.920 starting point, and then looking at the finished product of 0:08:54.960 --> 0:08:58.079 a twenty twenty three Nissan Z, you can actually see 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:01.440 where that fits in with the car's design. If you 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:04.600 look at an image of the Nissan Z, you're looking 0:09:04.640 --> 0:09:07.320 at it from the side, and you focus on the 0:09:07.400 --> 0:09:10.920 silver roof element that's on the side of the vehicle, 0:09:11.120 --> 0:09:13.800 the one that extends from the A pillar on the 0:09:13.880 --> 0:09:16.680 side and then goes all the way down past the 0:09:16.760 --> 0:09:21.360 back window. You see the katana blade there, that's what 0:09:21.480 --> 0:09:25.720 it was modeled after. But the designers also incorporated an 0:09:25.760 --> 0:09:29.960 interesting element that occurs in nature and has a surprising 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:33.160 tendency to pop up again and again, and they put 0:09:33.320 --> 0:09:39.360 that into the Nissan Z and that was the golden ratio. 0:09:40.120 --> 0:09:43.600 But what the heck does that mean? Well, let's say 0:09:43.640 --> 0:09:46.840 you've got two objects. You have object A and you 0:09:46.880 --> 0:09:51.120 have object B. A is larger than B, and we 0:09:51.160 --> 0:09:55.160 can express the difference in size as a ratio. Now, 0:09:55.200 --> 0:09:57.200 we could do that if things were really simple, in 0:09:57.240 --> 0:09:59.560 a very easy way. So if A were twice the 0:09:59.640 --> 0:10:03.680 size of B, we would say A is to B, 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:07.560 but it is not to B. Wait, what's the question? 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:11.280 Before I go on a hamlet tangent, let me get 0:10:11.280 --> 0:10:14.040 back to the golden ratio. So the ratio is not 0:10:14.559 --> 0:10:18.679 two times. Rather, the ratio is one point six ' 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:22.880 one eight zero, three, three, nine, and then a bunch 0:10:22.920 --> 0:10:26.800 of numbers extending into infinity forever endeavor. But what is 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:33.400 special about this particular ratio. Well, if you take object 0:10:33.480 --> 0:10:36.160 A and you compare it to object B, and you say, 0:10:36.160 --> 0:10:40.679 object A is this ratio times as large as object B? 0:10:41.400 --> 0:10:44.280 That's one thing. If you add A and B together 0:10:44.360 --> 0:10:48.760 to create a larger object. Something really interesting happens because 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:51.880 you get a new object. Let's say object A plus B, 0:10:51.960 --> 0:10:54.719 which we will rename as objects C. This is the 0:10:55.120 --> 0:10:58.760 larger one that represents the combination of the first two. 0:10:59.160 --> 0:11:02.880 If we combine object C with the original object A, 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:07.080 we'll see that same ratio holds true that A is 0:11:07.160 --> 0:11:10.920 to B as A plus B is to A. And 0:11:10.960 --> 0:11:13.480 you can repeat this. You can do this over and over. 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:16.800 You can add A to C and you create an 0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:19.559 even larger object D, and D will have this same 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:26.880 ratio relationship to C. So this mathematic curiosity inspired countless 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:31.960 philosophers throughout antiquity to pursue all sorts of paths while 0:11:32.000 --> 0:11:37.080 exploring this ratio and its implications. And it also inspired 0:11:37.240 --> 0:11:41.920 artists to incorporate this ratio into their works. And you 0:11:41.920 --> 0:11:46.880 can find the golden ratio represented in many different artistic endeavors, 0:11:46.920 --> 0:11:52.320 from tilework to architecture. And in the twenty twenty three 0:11:52.400 --> 0:11:57.000 Nissan z the designers purposefully built elements of the vehicle 0:11:57.320 --> 0:12:00.880 to be in alignment with the golden ratio because for 0:12:00.960 --> 0:12:05.440 centuries it's been thought of as esthetically pleasing. Now you 0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:10.320 probably wouldn't notice this without someone pointing it out. Unnless 0:12:10.360 --> 0:12:12.559 you happen to be one of those ancient philosophers who 0:12:12.559 --> 0:12:17.040 are absolutely gaga about maths. But it does make a difference. 0:12:17.080 --> 0:12:21.400 It makes an impact, even if you cannot articulate why 0:12:21.559 --> 0:12:26.679 it does. Now, before you start getting into specifics like 0:12:26.760 --> 0:12:30.520 a katana blade or the golden ratio, you have to 0:12:30.559 --> 0:12:34.920 work out your ideas, and designers typically start with a sketch. 0:12:35.720 --> 0:12:39.280 That sketch could be old school. There's some designers who 0:12:39.400 --> 0:12:43.199 use paper and pencils to create their sketches. They will 0:12:43.240 --> 0:12:47.079 start off with basic shapes and they'll refine their ideas 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:50.920 from there. They'll add color, they might even add some effects, 0:12:51.000 --> 0:12:53.480 like create some little blurder lines in the back to 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:56.959 give the impression of a vehicle in motion. Or they 0:12:57.040 --> 0:12:59.280 might start with something much more high tech, like a 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:03.320 waycom tact and they'll create a digital two dimensional sketch 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:08.199 of their ideas. But generally speaking, the first visually appealing 0:13:08.280 --> 0:13:12.120 part of the design process is a two dimensional sketch. 0:13:12.679 --> 0:13:16.360 This initial sketch is really just a starting point, and 0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:19.480 the designer will likely go through many versions before honing 0:13:19.520 --> 0:13:23.560 in on what will be the actual design to be 0:13:23.760 --> 0:13:29.520 used as the generative element for the whole vehicle. In fact, 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:34.400 the early finished sketches can be abstract. They might give 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:38.839 a sense of shapes and colors, of lines and reflective surfaces. 0:13:39.400 --> 0:13:43.360 They're there to impart a feeling that this car was 0:13:43.400 --> 0:13:46.040 meant to go fast, or this car is meant to 0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:51.360 take you on an adventure. Ideally, the sketch marries form 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:54.440 and function. It looks like the type of vehicle that 0:13:54.520 --> 0:13:57.679 will take your breath away but also be perfectly suited 0:13:58.160 --> 0:14:02.320 for its intended purpose. Those sketches aren't just for car 0:14:02.480 --> 0:14:06.200 exteriors either. Artists will also sketch out cabin interiors and 0:14:06.559 --> 0:14:10.400 the like, giving a hint at the color schemes, the materials, 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:15.000 the positioning of controls, the ergonomics of the car's interior. 0:14:15.559 --> 0:14:19.080 These sketches can also hint at what the driving experience 0:14:19.560 --> 0:14:26.920 is aiming for. So what happens after this flurry of sketches, Well, 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:30.120 we'll get to that after we take this quick break 0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:43.200 for a word from our sponsor. So we've created a 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:46.400 bunch of sketches. Where do we go from here? The 0:14:46.400 --> 0:14:50.600 design team has to select which sketch is really going 0:14:50.640 --> 0:14:54.360 to be representative of where this vehicle is headed from 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:58.640 a design perspective, of course, and then it's time to 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:01.880 hand that over to a three dimensional design team. To 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:05.520 be clear, everyone on the design team is three dimensional. 0:15:05.880 --> 0:15:10.000 I just mean this particular team specializes in creating virtual 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:13.200 three dimensional models. So it's their job to take this 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:18.240 two dimensional sketch and, using software like ALIAS, build out 0:15:18.280 --> 0:15:23.880 a virtual three dimensional model. These tools, these software pieces 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:27.120 are collaborative and they include computer assist features, and they 0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:30.680 make it much easier to adjust a design, which allows 0:15:30.680 --> 0:15:34.359 the team to iterate quickly and even pivot if necessary. 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:36.960 So if it turns out that something that was in 0:15:37.000 --> 0:15:42.480 the original sketch is impractical or impossible, they can make 0:15:42.520 --> 0:15:45.560 adjustments to that without going all the way back to 0:15:45.600 --> 0:15:49.960 the beginning. The virtual three dimensional model can be viewed 0:15:50.080 --> 0:15:53.400 on a computer screen. It can be imported into an 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:57.520 environment where someone can don a VR headset and carry 0:15:57.520 --> 0:16:01.600 a controller, and then can virtually walk around the model 0:16:01.680 --> 0:16:04.800 and see what it would look like in person. The 0:16:04.800 --> 0:16:08.000 three dimensional model has to accommodate for all the technical 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:10.640 requirements of this vehicle, so it's not just the aesthetics. 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:13.800 It has to also be there to allow for things 0:16:13.840 --> 0:16:16.720 like the powertrain for the vehicle that has to be 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:20.680 built into this model as well. And design software has 0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:24.160 really come a long way over the years, so these 0:16:24.240 --> 0:16:28.120 days this software can simulate all sorts of lighting conditions, 0:16:28.120 --> 0:16:30.880 for example, so designers can actually see what a vehicle 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:35.040 would look like at noon or at sunset, or in 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:38.560 the light of street lamps. You can even export designs 0:16:38.760 --> 0:16:41.560 so that they can be milled out of clay or 0:16:41.680 --> 0:16:45.880 foam and create a real world three dimensional model based 0:16:45.880 --> 0:16:50.000 on this virtual computer model. Now, just because you can 0:16:50.080 --> 0:16:54.800 have a milling machine guided by computers cut out the 0:16:54.840 --> 0:16:57.240 basic shape of a vehicle in a block of clay 0:16:57.880 --> 0:17:02.640 doesn't mean that sculptors. Human sculptors don't play an important 0:17:02.640 --> 0:17:06.280 part too. They do. A milling machine can reduce an 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:09.360 enormous block of clay to a vehicle design, but it's 0:17:09.400 --> 0:17:13.359 the team of sculptors who come in to refine that 0:17:13.520 --> 0:17:18.000 rough cut into something special. They use tools that are 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:23.440 descended from centuries of artistry and by hand. They use 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:27.479 these tools to shape that model, to define edges, to 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:33.320 create curved surfaces, to use site and touch to get 0:17:33.359 --> 0:17:36.760 the feel of the vehicle just right, something that a 0:17:36.800 --> 0:17:41.000 machine can't do. They work as a team to reach 0:17:41.080 --> 0:17:44.760 the goal envisioned in those early sketches, to create something 0:17:45.080 --> 0:17:48.720 that people will want to interact with. So while the 0:17:48.720 --> 0:17:52.440 clay model might begin with a computer, the human artists 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:56.280 are the ones to mold the vehicle from there. Interestingly, 0:17:57.040 --> 0:18:00.000 after this step, it's time to get the vehicle designed 0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:06.240 back into the virtual realm. Nissan uses sophisticated optical scanners 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:09.760 to get a precise three D model of the sculpted clay. 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:13.760 So we start with a two dimensional sketch, we go 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:17.600 to a virtual three dimensional model. We then go to 0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:21.520 a real world three dimensional model from clay that then 0:18:21.600 --> 0:18:25.160 gets reshaped and refined by artists, and then we scan 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:29.639 that to create a new virtual three dimensional model. Eventually, 0:18:29.680 --> 0:18:32.480 this design process narrows in on what will be the 0:18:32.640 --> 0:18:36.440 final design, and the information that was used to create 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:40.240 that finalized virtual model then can be used for the 0:18:40.280 --> 0:18:45.640 actual manufacturing process. The stamping dies and the production molds 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:48.840 that are used in manufacturing can come from this data. 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:52.280 There are other departments that also play an integral role 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:54.680 in determining what the finished vehicle is going to look 0:18:54.760 --> 0:18:57.760 like and how it will perform. This also includes things 0:18:57.800 --> 0:19:01.080 like color design. These teams elect the colors that will 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:04.760 give the vehicle its own personality. That includes both the 0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:09.320 exterior and the interior colors, with a guiding principle being harmony, 0:19:09.800 --> 0:19:14.800 a harmony between the intent of the vehicle and its appearance. 0:19:15.280 --> 0:19:17.960 A car that's meant to thrill needs to have a 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:21.760 color palette to match. After all, that also includes the 0:19:21.800 --> 0:19:25.360 actual materials used for the interior. How are they going 0:19:25.400 --> 0:19:27.879 to feel, how is it going to look, how are 0:19:27.920 --> 0:19:30.440 they going to capture color? How will they reflect light? 0:19:31.040 --> 0:19:34.640 All of these considerations play a part and ideally are 0:19:34.720 --> 0:19:39.080 in alignment with the intent the purpose of this vehicle. 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:44.120 It's pretty remarkable how every decision in the design process 0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:48.200 has to do several things. It's like having multiple bosses 0:19:48.200 --> 0:19:50.520 and you have to please all of them because the 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:54.639 design needs to meet the requirements of that initial business plan. 0:19:55.240 --> 0:19:58.320 It needs to perform in a specific way depending upon 0:19:58.359 --> 0:20:02.119 the intended function of the vehicle. It needs to evoke 0:20:02.240 --> 0:20:06.720 an emotion, It needs to be esthetically pleasing. If the 0:20:06.800 --> 0:20:11.440 process fails in any of these duties, it can mean 0:20:11.560 --> 0:20:17.320 going back to the drawing board, sometimes literally. So a 0:20:17.400 --> 0:20:22.360 quick word about the twenty twenty three models Nissan has designed, 0:20:22.359 --> 0:20:25.040 because I think it's fun to know what sort of 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:29.960 influenced the designers as they worked in those early stages, 0:20:30.080 --> 0:20:34.679 as they sketched and three D modeled and sculpted. I 0:20:34.720 --> 0:20:38.760 already mentioned that the Z, Nissan's sports car, incorporates the 0:20:38.840 --> 0:20:43.159 Katana as part of the vehicle's design. There's also the Frontier, 0:20:43.680 --> 0:20:46.400 a truck that with a grill that took inspiration from 0:20:46.440 --> 0:20:50.680 warrior helmets, which I think is amazing, this idea of 0:20:51.160 --> 0:20:55.480 really being able to tackle the world like a warrior 0:20:56.000 --> 0:20:58.960 in this in this truck. And then there's the Aria, 0:20:59.440 --> 0:21:04.320 which Kon says followed a Japanese concept of welcoming openness. 0:21:04.960 --> 0:21:08.200 The Aria is a crossover vehicle. It's an all electric 0:21:08.400 --> 0:21:12.960 suv with really cool inset button controls that light up 0:21:13.080 --> 0:21:16.720 on the interior surfaces of the car. Honestly, as I 0:21:16.760 --> 0:21:19.840 watched video demonstrations of the vehicle, it made it seem 0:21:19.880 --> 0:21:22.679 like you're in a spacecraft. I really really dug it. 0:21:22.760 --> 0:21:25.000 I really want to be inside one. I have not 0:21:25.160 --> 0:21:29.840 actually set foot in an Aria yet. So in their 0:21:29.920 --> 0:21:33.720 twenty twenty three models, Nissan's goal was to create designs 0:21:33.760 --> 0:21:35.879 that impart the feeling of what it must be like 0:21:36.040 --> 0:21:40.440 to drive those vehicles before you even opened a door, 0:21:40.520 --> 0:21:43.840 let alone turned it on. By the time a car 0:21:44.119 --> 0:21:48.320 rolls off the production line, dozens of people have played 0:21:48.359 --> 0:21:52.400 a critical part in the vehicle's look, feel, and operation, 0:21:53.000 --> 0:21:56.880 all aligned with this goal of imparting a specific emotional 0:21:56.920 --> 0:22:03.240 response the thrill of driving. To me, this entire process 0:22:03.880 --> 0:22:11.080 is incredibly inspiring because it's going from the psychology of 0:22:11.560 --> 0:22:14.760 human beings, how we react when we see something that 0:22:14.800 --> 0:22:20.280 appeals to us. It also incorporates both traditional and modern 0:22:20.480 --> 0:22:26.920 techniques for design, everything from shaping clay to using additive processing. 0:22:27.200 --> 0:22:29.560 Three D printing can play a big part as you're 0:22:29.600 --> 0:22:32.720 printing out specific components to see how they fit in 0:22:33.200 --> 0:22:37.200 with the overall concept of a vehicle. It's this marriage 0:22:37.440 --> 0:22:42.359 of the traditional and the modern that I find really interesting. 0:22:42.800 --> 0:22:46.840 It isn't all about let's abandon the old way because 0:22:46.840 --> 0:22:49.560 we have a new way. It's how do these things 0:22:49.600 --> 0:22:53.639 work together in harmony to produce the result that we 0:22:53.760 --> 0:22:59.040 have intended. And in the case of Nissans vehicles, it 0:22:59.160 --> 0:23:01.639 really makes a lot of sense because you start to 0:23:01.680 --> 0:23:05.159 see where that appeal really comes through, and you realize, 0:23:05.359 --> 0:23:09.159 if we left this all up to automated processes, we 0:23:09.440 --> 0:23:14.439 probably wouldn't end up with anything even remotely as esthetically 0:23:14.520 --> 0:23:19.240 pleasing and thrilling as what we get through the marriage 0:23:19.280 --> 0:23:22.800 of all of these methodologies working together. I want to 0:23:22.800 --> 0:23:26.520 thank Nissan for sponsoring this episode. It's always fun to 0:23:26.560 --> 0:23:29.760 really take into consideration what has to happen for a 0:23:29.840 --> 0:23:33.680 product to come together. Often I just look at how 0:23:33.720 --> 0:23:37.320 the product works and the various technologies that allow it 0:23:37.320 --> 0:23:42.359 to work, without really considering how did teams decide what 0:23:42.520 --> 0:23:44.960 that product would look like and how it would feel 0:23:45.240 --> 0:23:49.400 to use it. So putting myself in that mindset, it's 0:23:49.440 --> 0:23:51.560 a bit of a stretch, and you know what, we 0:23:51.600 --> 0:23:53.080 could all use a stretch now and then in the 0:23:53.080 --> 0:23:55.920 middle of the day. Thanks for listening to this episode. 0:23:56.160 --> 0:23:58.800 Hope you enjoyed it. I will talk to you again 0:23:59.640 --> 0:24:09.320 really soon. Tech Stuff is an iHeartRadio production. For more 0:24:09.359 --> 0:24:14.119 podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 0:24:14.119 --> 0:24:16.080 wherever you listen to your favorite shows.