SkyCab

EVTOL air taxi interior design for Braunwagner GMBH

SkyCab is an eVTOL air taxi that was developed as part of a research project led by FH Aachen. Braunwagner was responsible for the holistic design of SkyCab.

https://sky-cab.net

As a student product designer at Braunwagner I was responsible for the design of the air taxi interior. This included unterstanding the brand and exterior design, as well as the technical requirements given by the engineers of FH Aachen and FEV Vehicle GMBH. I was also responsible for the final visualisation of the project, including renderings and animation.

Student designer work | 2021-23 | Braunwagner GMBH

01.

EVTOL Air Taxi

Product Concept

SkyCab is an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft [eVTOL] for urban air mobility with a "lift and cruise" layout. The four lift rotors perform vertical take-off and landing, while the two propulsion rotors and wings enable efficient gliding flight. SkyCab is split into the flight propulsion unit [FPU], and an exchangeable unit, for example the people transport unit [PTU].

02.

SkyCab Design Story

Passenger safety is a key piont in the design of SkyCab‘s passenger cell. The engineers implemented passive safety features into the frame using geometries and design methods from automotive engineering.

Product Concept

C-Bracket

The C-Bracket encloses the side windows. This formal gesture visually communicates the safety and protection offered by SkyCab to the passengers.

03.

Interior Design Process

Technical requirements to start with:

• Two Displays [10,6“] for primary flight display [PFD] and multi-function display [MFD]
• One center-stick to control the air taxi

Design Process

04.

Step into virtual reality

SkyCab was designed in virtual reality using gravity sketch, to immerse in the vehicle interior. The 3D data provided by the engineers was overlaid with the concept surfaces of the design proposals to determine which design proposal could best be combined with the technically necessary structures.

Design Process

Feedback from engineers:

• Centrally mounted free-hangig seats are not possible due to crash safety regulations
• New technical hard-fact: 4 Independent seats mounted directly on the floor below them

Resulting design decisions:

• Proposal Inner C-Bracket is chosen, and will be the basis for all design decisions to come

05.

Ideation Step 2

Design Process

06.

Final Design

• C-Bracket encloses the passengers and creates a feeling of protection
• Holds all functional components such as displays, door openers, handles
• The seats echo the formal principle of the C-Bracket
• Clear visual separation of functional components

Interior Design

• Automotive-like horizontal dashboard to cover crash structures
• Recess for the integration of the head-up display
• PFD and MFD in one integrative element
• Asymmetry to create focus on the pilot

07.

1:1 Model at European Rotors

The people transport unit [PTU] of SkyCab was realised as a 1:1 design mock-up and presented at the European Rotors 2022 to a global community of vertical aviation experts. To achieve this goal, the concept surfaces of the design were converted into production 3D data that complies with the manufacturing process used by MOC Simulation Services GMBH, the model maker of this 1:1 model with functioning doors, HMI and ighting in the interior.

Design Model

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