Chess is a cell-car concept where passengers are put in a cell above a platform containing the engine and wheels. The cell can move over the platform in any direction. If a sensor, placed in the platform, detects a possible crash, the passenger-cell is moved away from the expected impact area. This results in more (deformable) distance between impact and passengers, thus higher survival-chances. Depending on position, speed, and place of impact, the passenger-cell moves to the most optimal position to protect the occupants.
At a side-impact crash, the doorstep moves out to create an extra buffer, this way, the passengers are positioned in the most possible protected area.
Designer : Thijs van der Zanden & Frans Hegge