Kendrae Hunter

Mobility interior & CMF · 2026

NOOK

An autonomous micro-mobility pod for San Francisco streets

Render of the NOOK pod: a compact, rounded sage-green autonomous vehicle with a dotted glass shell, lit in warm sunset colors

NOOK reimagines urban micro-mobility as a human-centered spatial experience rather than simply a mode of transportation: a compact, enclosed, fully autonomous pod that bridges the gap between a scooter and a compact car.

Sponsors
Zoox × Autodesk × Academy of Art University
Shown at
AAU Spring Show 2026
Setting
San Francisco streetscape
Capacity
1–2 riders, plus their things
My role
Interior architect: cabin interior & CMF
Software
Revit

01 · The brief

Small enough for the sidewalk. Smart enough for the street.

A sponsored studio with Zoox and Autodesk asked our team to rethink short urban trips. NOOK is sized for one or two riders and what they carry through a day in the city: groceries, a gym bag, a backpack.

A rider beside the NOOK charging station, phone in hand, two pods docked behind her

02 · Concept

Calm within movement

I designed the interior to create a sense of calm within movement, inspired by biophilic principles and contemporary lounge spaces.

The goal was a cabin that feels more architectural than automotive: soft, warm and quiet, closer to a reading nook than a car.

NOOK mood board: friendly, agile and minimal forms beside a figure standing in a softly lit, human-centered space
Concept sketches of the NOOK pod and its charging station in plan, elevation and perspective

03 · Interior & CMF

A lounge, not a dashboard

My CMF palette pairs sage green leather, oak veneer, woven textiles and brushed aluminum with subtle “shy tech” panels and warm ambient lighting. Materials M1–M8 were specified across the seating, shell and trim.

  • Sage green leather
  • Oak veneer
  • Woven textiles
  • Brushed aluminum
  • “Shy tech” panels
  • Warm ambient light
Exploded cabin drawing keyed M1 to M8 with material swatches: light oak, flocked fabric, brushed aluminum, leather, oak veneer, autoskin, sage leather and polyester textile
Interior render of the NOOK cabin with sage seating, oak surfaces and warm light

04 · Ride

The view from inside

First-person view from the NOOK seat looking through the panoramic windshield at a San Francisco street
Film still: the cabin’s heads-up display tracing a green route lane down the street

05 · Renders

Friendly, agile, minimal

Two NOOK pods in sage green rendered against a dark studio backdrop
Three NOOK pods in a light studio, one opened to show the interior seating

06 · Charging ecosystem

Docking between the sidewalk and the bike lane

We also designed a modular charging station that sits between the sidewalk and bike lane, so multiple NOOK vehicles can dock, charge and deploy with a minimal footprint.

The Zoox NOOK charging station: a glass pavilion with a tree inside and two pods charging under the canopy
Aerial streetscape plan showing frontage, pedestrian, landscape, charging, bike and flex zones

07 · Process

From storyboard to street

Storyboard of a rider’s day with NOOK, from booking on a phone to arriving at a destination

Film

NOOK in motion

A short loop cut from our team’s NOOK film (no sound). It plays only when you press play.

Gallery

Stills from the film

Film still: a NOOK pod travelling down a steep San Francisco street, seen from above
Film still: a rider walks toward a NOOK pod parked on the waterfront
Film still: a rider picks up a paper bag at a cafe window
Film still: studio render of the NOOK pod on a pale grey background

Outcome

Exhibited at the 2026 Spring Show

NOOK was presented at the Academy of Art University 2026 Spring Show. Its key features, from our final packaging board:

  • Autonomous shared mobility
  • Compact urban footprint
  • Lounge-inspired interior
  • Integrated charging ecosystem
  • Human-centered accessibility
  • Biophilic CMF palette

See it on the Spring Show site

Credits

  • Jinghan YangIndustrial Design (BFA)
  • Jiaqi GuUX/UI Design (MA)
  • Kendrae HunterInterior Architect (BFA)

A collaborative team project. Renders and film are shared team work; the cabin interior and CMF were my role.