Terranaut - earth’s equivalent of a lunar rover

February 15, 2006 Nissan has released more details of the large and imposing Terranaut which we previewed with design sketches a fortnight ago. The Terranaut is a mobile science laboratory, billed by Nissan as earth’s equivalent of a lunar rover, protecting its occupants from the environment so they can become part of it. Created by London-based Nissan Design Europe, the overriding theme behind the concept is one of function. Satellite information systems allow data access and transfer all over the planet. Terranaut has enough refrigerated storage space to house food, water and other provisions for a week in the field. Lightweight tents, sleeping bags built for extreme conditions and cooking facilities are ingenious built into storage compartments in the doors. This extensive article looks at the detail of the Terranaut’s design, and contrasts the Terranaut with Nissan’s other current show car destined for the Geneva Show – the PIVO. On one hand they couldn’t be more dissimilar. One is a diminutive yet innovative electric city car, the other a substantial four-wheel drive explorer. Although produced for two diametrically opposed habitats and physically at either extreme of car design boundaries, Pivo and Terranaut share some key elements: both, for example, have three seats and both feature rotating spherical ‘pods’ as a central part of their respective overall designs.

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