Eileen Mandir

moovel Go v2 — How to book a car2go handsfree

Prototype for device to book a car2go handsfree
moovel Go v2: prototype to book a car2go handsfree

How can something invisible become visible and accessible? Or rather: How can you book your mobility options without having the hassle of opening a website or an app? Of course: make all transport options omnipresent at the location where they are needed and easily accessible for interaction during the booking process.

The »moovel Go v2« is - as you might have correctly guessed - the successor of the moovel Go v1. As we have had great experiences with the v1, we now aim to bring the new display out into the real world. The v2 will build on what we have learned from its predecessor and feature information display and booking interaction … but this time: hands-free!

After the v1 had been part of our office furniture for quite a while, we found it to be a real game changer. Luckily we never fought about who got the closest car2go, but we did see how we were adapting to having constantly available information. And we also noticed some shortcomings in our little smiling cloud:

  • No printer! (too slow and has a high level of maintenance)
  • Displaying more modes of transport would be nice
  • Can we do it also hands-free (as seen in gesture apps like knocktounlock)?

The video of the v2 was the proof of concept, and that set the stage to convert our click dummies and product mockups into an actual working app. The app feeds the display with information on the closest car2go, just as before.

But that’s not where the app ends: it also converts the iPad, which the »moovel Go v2« is running on, into an ultra-low energy Bluetooth beacon. When in range of a »moovel Go v2« display, mobile devices can respond to this technology and enter the ‘listening’ mode. This mode enables the device to detect the knocking gesture, which reserves the closest car2go (providing that the client has registered).

We can’t just nail an iPad onto a wall.

So from the technical side, the v2 is getting closer and closer to being a pre-series model. But since we can’t just nail an iPad onto a wall, we’ll need a suitable product display design so the customer can interact with the »moovel Go v2« from the visual side.

moovel Go v2 case

moovel Go v2 display

The video portrays a café situation as a possible setting for the »moovel Go v2«. Being in a public environment also brings some challenges in terms of product design. Instead of dealing with a given group of people (as in an office), it needs to be understandable and usable for a wider range of people.

Project host:
moovel lab
People involved @ moovel lab:
Stephan Bogner, Benedikt Groß, Alex Makarov, Marco Berends, Eileen Mandir

Exhibition