Every year, as part of the LA Auto Show, automotive design studios are invited to get a bit mental and participate in the LA Design Challenge, showing the world what they can do when not confined to such factors as practicality, usability or something silly like physics. This year's theme for the designers is 'Hollywood's Hottest New Movie Car' and Honda has gone all John Wayne on us with the "IH" - or intelligent horse.
Unfortunately, in the future Honda foresees in its movie 'High Noon' horses don't actually exist anymore and what the scientists have created, having dug up some remains and looked at some cave paintings, is an advanced all-terrain-vehicle that combines artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and something called additive technology that is described as "a revolutionary attempt to produce very small or especially very large parts in a more efficient way to save weight and resources while improving the strength and flexibility of the product" or whatever that means.
The IH is designed to be repairable locally using whatever parts The Duke can lay his hands on and apparently acts as both a companion and a protector that must fight to the death when fuel and other resources begin to run out with only the most creative remaining. We picture a 'Return to the Thunderdrome' type of creativity whereby those with the largest guns win.
Paul Healy - 6 Nov 2011