Conceived as a mind-controlled, rolling exoskeleton, the GTR-X is one of the most unusual auto concepts ever…
The automotive world is entering into an interesting transition. Vehicles are moving off carbon-based fuels, and autonomous driving is (unfortunately) trending. Nissan has decided to look beyond these transitions though — 30 years beyond — with the Nissan GT-R (X) 2050 concept, designed by Nissan design intern Jaebum Choi.
Wearing a futuristic racing-style suit and large backpack; you pop the top of the GTR-X and slip in, lying flat on your belly with arms and legs spread in an X-pattern. This position allows for good low-drag aerodynamics, much like the early Roborace cars, but it’s pretty ordinary for looking out the windscreen. So there’s no windscreen, and no work for the guys at the intersection with their squeegees.
This half-car, half-exoskeleton operates via a brain-to-core transmitter, allowing the person to send ‘brain-wave’ signals directly to the ‘plazma energy core’ of the machine via a spherical VR helmet that provides vision from cameras on the exterior of the car.
The wheels and tyres in each corner are one piece, designed to allow the car to turn 360 degrees, and are fed by an unspecified electric powertrain. Choi took styling inspiration from the current R35 GT-R (hence the name), giving it ‘V-motion’ touches, the trademark round taillights, and red accents like those seen on the GT-R Nismo.
It’d be impossible to build a functioning concept for something like this, although Nissan Design America has given Choi’s project early encouragement by producing a 1:1 model. It’s as close as someone could come to a wearable car — head first. ■
By Bill Varetimidis
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