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ChronoPod: A Speculative Design Project
Project type
Design management, postgraduate project
Date
2025
Team:
Bei Wu, Caroline Shen, Lianze Lyu, Lingxue Chen, Naomi Zhang, Sahana Samanta
Role
Team Leader + Narrative & World-Building +Product Ideation + Business Strategy + Financial Planning + Presentation & Team Coordination +Marketing & Branding
Creative Skills
Storytelling + Narrative Design
Innovative + Speculative Thinking
Visual + Verbal Communication
Interdisciplinary Integration
Product Ideation + Development
Marketing + Branding Strategy
Financials + Business model
Soft Skills
Leadership + Team Coordination
Problem-Solving + Adaptability
Presentation + Elevator Pitch
Empathy + Emotional Intelligence
Attention to Detail + Organization
Cross-Cultural Communication
Brief:
The year is 2071. Humanity has expanded across the solar system, with lunar metropolises, Martian cities, and scattered outposts. However, inter-settlement travel remains costly and inefficient, relying on solar sail barges and fission rockets. A solution was needed to enhance comfort, accessibility, and sustainability in long-duration space travel.
Task:
Polaris, our design agency, was tasked with developing an innovative business opportunity to pitch to investors. The goal was to create a product that optimized spacecraft interiors while addressing the physical and psychological challenges of long journeys.
Response:
Through extensive research and iterations, Polaris designed ChronoPod—a modular system integrating hexagonal capsules and recreational spaces within existing spacecraft. Key innovations included:
+Cryo-suspension technology to "freeze" passengers’ bodily functions, reducing resource consumption.
+ Time-release schedules, where passengers are awake for only one day each month, engaging in immersive, pre-booked excursions.
+ Haptic-enhanced recreational spaces, inspired by Star Trek’s Holodeck, using ultra-haptics technology to simulate nature-based experiences, reconnecting travelers to Earth.
+ Optimized modularity, ensuring flexibility and scalability to fit different spacecraft.
Result
ChronoPod transformed space travel by:
+ Reducing operational costs and increasing passenger capacity, making interplanetary travel more inclusive.
+ Enhancing passenger well-being, addressing psychological challenges through immersive experiences.
+ Minimizing environmental impact, improving energy efficiency and sustainability in space logistics.
+ Creating market differentiation, leveraging a blue ocean strategy and early patenting to secure a competitive advantage.
