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SIMON THE TURTLE

Transforming

Universal

Remote-controlled

Transport

Load-bearing

Electric vehicle)

Sensory

Immersive

Mobile

Observation

Nest

After helping design and build HeadSpace in 2016, I wanted to build a smaller, more portable vehicle to be able to transport it around to different events more easily.

Working with an amazing team of friends from Phoenix, AZ, we built an electric, remote-controlled platform from scratch, and decorated it like a turtle: SIMON the TURTLE.

SAM OGDEN - ART CAR DESIGNER - SIMON THE TURTLE CAR - CONCEPT DESIGNS

DESIGN EVOLUTION

A Prototyping project at heart, Turtle is an excuse to try something. To learn something.

An experiment to try and test and break and try again.

The object of the game is to believe that we can make it better and improve it if we work together!

When we started the project in 2017, nobody on the team knew how to build an Electric Vehicle from scratch. And while we’re far from recreating a Tesla, we have managed to build a completely customizable electric platform that can move loads of 10-15 happily lounging passengers, and a pretty fun light show to sit and watch.

Since 2017, Turtle has gotten leaner and lighter every year, upgrading to lighter, longer-lasting batteries, larger more powerful motors, and stripping down the chassis. We’ve also refined the design so that it can completely disassemble into the bed of a pickup truck. Adding four LED video screen “flippers” with 2000 LEDs each, Turtle now lights up over 10000 LEDs and counting!

We look forward to continuing to bring SIMON out to Burning Man, as well as other festivals!