Google Car Nest
Project Description
The Car Nest is a device that helps people/explorers document points of interest safely while on the move.
Using Google’s robust GPS capabilities, the Car Nest allows people to quickly mark geographic points to then return to them later. The location is recorded automatically to Google Maps, and the camera provides a preview so the user can quickly remember why they recorded that location.
Project Type
Consumer Electronics
Roles
Product Designer / Researcher / Product Visualization
Project Angle
A connected device that helps explorers log their travels more safely and efficiently.
The Spark
Joe, Male 22
Joe loves going on long joy rides.
He often finds interesting locations that he marks down, in case he wants to return.
To do this, he either:
Tries to mark the location in a GPS app using his phone
Pulls off the road to write the coordinates and a description in his driving journal
Both of these processes are inefficient and can be dangerous; either he takes his eye off the road, or risks pulling over in a dangerous position on the road.
“I’m thinking of putting a camera on my windshield so I can re-watch my drives at home … if it had GPS tracking that’d be even better.” - Joe
On Distracted Driving
71% of Generation Z drivers admitted to driving distracted.
89% of Gen-Z are looking for ways to cut down on distractions.
Data from the Harris Poll For Volvo
Target Audience
The Explorer
20
Enjoys exploring their surroundings by car.
Often drives around with no specific destination.
Stops in random locations to take photos, walk around, or simply stop and enjoy the view.
Likes to return both alone and with friends.
I quickly moved from sketches to rough prototypes to nail down shape, size and proportions.
While in the car, I focused on placement and range of motion to make sure it was easy to reach without the driver being distracted from the road.
During the testing, I realized that this would also be taken out of the car, and started refining the form to work both on and off the stand.
Testing led to CAD
Which led to more testing
Which led to…
This device was made for explorers that don’t want distractions in their travels.
With large buttons on the top and bottom of the device, the Car Nest can be triggered easily to mark a geographic location without taking your eyes off of what’s in front of you.
When triggered, the wide angle camera captures an image that acts as a preview for the user so they know the reason for marking that location.
The geographic location is automatically saved to your google account to return to whenever.
The Google Car Nest
Get all the details you want.
12 mp sensor
Ultra-wide focal length (13 mm)
Constant recording
Saves 10 minutes of footage at a time.
Overwrites continuously.
Saves 15 seconds before and after pressing the button.
Sturdy, flexible construction
Like people, not all cars are the same.
The car nest’s flexible base allows for drivers to position the device in the most comfortable and convenient place for them.
Leave the nest
The Car Nest works just as well in the car as out of it. When you take it off the base, you can make your way into the wild and mark that perfect view or picnic location, wherever your travels take you.
The CMF continues on the existing colors, materials, and finishes from the Google Home product line.
CMF
App Integration
The Car Nest is completely integrated with Google Maps, marking all of the locations so that you can easily return to them.
1.
Pin drops when the Car Nest button is clicked.
2.
View a preview from the Car Nest camera and access street view.
3.
Locations saved to specific folder that can be accessed at any time.
4.
Get suggestions based on the pins that you dropped.
