zaZen shows new ways to automotive enlightenment
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Article Summary
December 21, 2005 Two of the world’s most innovative technology companies have joined to showcase a new automotive lighting technology and a transparent roof design in a concept car built for next February’s Geneva Motor Show. Rinspeed is one of the usual culprits – every year they show yet another bleeding edge automotive concept, and they always deliver a working prototype. This time it has conspired with Bayer Material Science to create a single-section roof dome made of the high-tech polycarbonate which enables some interesting illumination properties, including a holographic brake light. The entire roof dome from the belt line up is made of a single sheet of transparent Bayer polycarbonate which can be switched from transparent to opaque at the press of a button. This property also enables any superfluous knobs and displays on the dashboard to be “faded out” so the driver can concentrate on what is most important. And instead of a living-room atmosphere, the occupants sit in "glass-like" plastic seat shells in a bright and friendly orange colour. The interior is an invitation to meditative unity for man and machine. Everything has been reduced to essentials, hence the name of the concept car, the "zaZen".
