Trailblazers

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Will Lark Jr. realizes that there are thousands of city drivers, all looking for speed, convenience, and the elusive parking spot. So he came up with a better way to get from point A to point B while also reducing pollution and the other problems associated with driving.

Working in MIT’s Media Lab among designers, artists, scientists, and engineers, Lark created the City Car, an automobile that tailors to the needs of urban drivers. Its wheels can turn fully sideways, allowing for easy parallel parking, u-turning, and even O-turning.  The electric motor is in the wheels so there is no need for an engine in front. The car can also fold inwards and become half as long to accommodate for tight spaces, and there is no traditional steering wheel — everything is controlled through a computer.

Lark’s vision for the City Car is a shared experience where people can use one and then drop it off, similar to modern urban bicycle sharing programs. To personalize the experience, Lark plans to create a system where individuals can swipe a card to login so they can access their favorite music settings or even change the exterior color of the vehicle. 

Clearly Lark is one engineer who will be going places.