Awesome Concepts

A luxury version of the 2015 Ford Transit by Galpin Auto Sports. It features four movable throne seats, a 52″ movie screen, a Kaleidescape media server and more, with all amenities and functions controlled from an iOS app.

A 0.3mi stretch of the N329 road in Oss, Netherlands now has glow-in-the-dark markers. They absorb solar energy during the day and glow at night. It’s part of Studio Roosegarde’s vision for a smart highway.

Land Rover’s Transparent Bonnet concept is an augmented reality display that enables the driver to see through the vehicle’s hood, letting him or her see the terrain underneath as well as the placement of his front wheels.

Tarus is looking for investors for its all-terrain 2-wheel drive motorcycles. The Tarus 2 has a 2-cylinder engine and fat low-pressure tires. It has a dry weight of about 100 lb. and can be disassembled in less than five minutes.

Android Wear is Google’s upcoming operating system for smartwatches. It displays notifications based on time, location and your personal info. It also supports voice commands and third-party apps. More here.

A preview of Volvo’s future station wagons, the Concept Estate is what hatchbacks look like when they grow up. It has a sleek silhouette and a luxurious interior covered in wood, wool, leather and copper. More on 95Octane.

The Quant e-Sportlimousine is a 912hp electric car powered by a flow battery, which generates energy by mixing electrolytes dissolved in water. Apparently this makes refueling nearly as fast as with a gas-powered car. More here and here.

A flexible wall-mounted shelf system that adjusts to your needs and looks nice even when it’s “empty.” Made by students Tadej Podakar and Luka Fabjan, the REMLshelf is made of wooden beams that you can pull apart to store items.

Rinspeed imagines how high-end cars might look like when autonomous driving technology matures. Based on the Tesla Model S, the XchangE is basically a compact hotel on wheels. With a motel bathtub paint job. More here.

The heir apparent to the GranTurismo, the Maserati Alfieri 2+2 shares the GT MC Stradale’s 460hp 4.7L V8 engine, and has a body inspired by the 1954 A6-GCS3 race car. More details and pics on 95Octane.

Looking like it jumped out of an anime, the Civic Type R Concept has a 276hp 2L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine, a massive rear spoiler, wide front and rear fenders and 20″ wheels. A production version is expected in 2015.

Google presented a non-functioning prototype of the Project Ara modular smartphone at This Week in Startups. The bare bones model could cost as low as $50 and will come in three sizes. Skip to around 6:00 for the demo.

Designed by Dennis Siegel, the RFID Bikealarm deters theft by emitting an ear-shattering 120dB alarm if it senses drastic movement. The owner uses a small RFID tag to wirelessly activate and deactivate the alarm.

True believers! Support Glen Bricker’s proposal for an official LEGO set of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. It has four levels, including the Danger Room and Cerebro, as well as a variety of X-Men minifigs, including Professor X.

Pernod Ricard’s Project Gutenberg concept makes cocktail mixing engaging and convenient. Spirits are shipped to customers in book-shaped containers. An iPad app lets them learn cocktail recipes as well as monitor and order liquor.

There’s still no confirmation that Apple is working on an iOS-powered wristband, but that hasn’t stopped us from wondering what one might actually look like. We’re particularly enamored of the UI on Todd Hamilton’s concept design.