Workshop

Barbie has a problem with her personal mobility: She can't walk long distances anymore, as the permanent wearing of high heels has finally deformed her feet. Though her pink convertible might have been a super cool thing in the 1980's – today she looks like a fool in it (at least that's what Skipper thinks).

In this 6-day workshop, students of the Hochschule für Künste and the University Bremen explored and constructed innovative and visionary (but sometimes also strange and scary) mobility solutions for Barbie and her lover Ken.

Moonshot Rocket

With all those exciting methods of transportation available, it's sometimes hard for Barbie to keep the overview! That's usually the right moment for her to take a little ballistic trip with her gravity-defying Moonshot Rocket. Created by Nourelhoda, the rocket scientist in our team, this explosive vehicle provides Barbie with a short moment of overview and contemplation about mobility matters in zero-G.

Wrecking Ball Public Pendulum

Based on a prior mobility study (Cyrus 2013), the Wrecking Ball Public Pendulum strives to enter the giant market of mass transportation. Commuters enter the wrecking ball at one of several hop-on / hop-off stations. From there, they can freely swing to their desired destination. According to Annika and Chang, the inventors of this exciting concept, the Wrecking Ball Public Pendulum is best enjoyed in revealing clothing as the inevitable airstream causes nice tickling sensations on the skin.

Rainbow-Chasing Unicorn

What could be more fulfilling than riding on the back of a Rainbow-Chasing Unicorn? Absolutely nothing! And that's the reason why Maria and Marianna made this dream a reality – at least for Barbie's friend Christie – who is demonstrating this magical concept for us.

Connected Cloud

When Barbie seeks ultimate pleasure while traveling, she chooses the Connected Cloud! Inspired by Dragonball's “Flying Nimbus”, Guida created this cloud-based public transport service with which Barbie flies in full fluffiness above our heads and straight into our hearts.

Teleporter

Completely disrespecting all boundaries of 21st century physics, Lukas and Max created a working prototype of a Teleporter! With this device, Barbie travels instantly to a galaxy far, far away – and back. All on the push of a button. Of course, we can only witness Barbie's appearance and disappearance on planet Earth and don't see how she physically assembles and disassembles at the remote location. But we're willing to believe!

Foldable Ornithopter Backpack

Sometimes Barbie just wants to feel free like a bird! Those are the moments, when she buckles up Lara's invention – the convenient Foldable Ornithopter Backpack. In everyday situations, this backpack appears to be a regular rucksack, but on the pull of a string, two large wings unfold and Barbie is ready to fly.

Roomba-Rover

When it's sunny and Barbie and Ken want to go for a joyride, the Roomba-Rover is their vehicle of choice: This self-driving car lacks orientation and navigation, which makes every trip an exciting journey to a random destination! The  Roomba-Rover provides pure pleasure of mobility – not more, not less – claims Niklas, its inventor.

Thanks

I want to thank moovel lab for sponsoring this workshop and Prof. Dennis Paul and Prof. Benedikt Groß for inviting me to Bremen!

Furthermore, I'd like to thank Maria Eugenia Araujo, Annika Engelhardt, Lara Feldermann, Maximilian Kiepe, Nourelhoda Mohamed, Marianna Nikulshina, Chang Park, Guida Ribeiro and Lukas Seiler for their great spirit, energy and ideas!

Additional resources

• Photos of the workshop License: CC BY 3.0 / Credits: Niklas Roy
• Documentation of the workshop on the website of Digital Media Bremen