EINFLÜSSE AUF DAS FRÜHE BENZINBETRIEBENE AUTOMOBIL UND DESSEN GESTALT
This thesis examines the social and political effects on the automobile up until the end of the First World War and how these influenced its shape. The investigation mainly focused on the bicycle culture, lobbying, armament, taxes, and laws that had developed until then. The automobile is one of the few technologies that has had a major influence on several generations for more than a century. Throughout this time, the designs were adapted to the respective circumstances and were constantly evolving. However, if one looks at the vehicles shortly after the First World War, one recognises that the basic concept of the automobile had already been established then. The automobile had been defined by then in terms of its construction, operation, and use.
LIAM
LIAM, which stands for Lightweight Inflatable Agriculture Machine, prevents soil from being compacted in agriculture. With ever heavier machines, such as tractors, our soils are being put under increasing strain and compaction. LIAM presents a solution to this problem by undertaking all the work of the tractors, while also providing relief to the soil through its lightweight inflatable structure.
Multiple air chambers are mounted along a ridgeline of up to 12 metres in length, which are then alternately filled and emptied by compressors. By targeting these individual air chambers, the structure can both run and stabilise itself independently. Moreover, each of the lower chambers can transform into a tread when under high pressure. In this way, LIAM can assume different forms and thus pull or carry equipment across the fields without compacting the soil.
