The pandemic-fuelled growth in work-from-home culture serves as the driving force behind the design of the NomadPro, a conceptual mobile workspace based on the Canter truck from Mitsubishi affiliate Fuso.
It’s been designed for day and overnight trips, imagined as a temporary reprieve from the downsides of living and working in the same space at home .
As society shifts to more progressive views on workplace flexibility and heightened physical and mental health awareness, many, says Mitsubishi, are beginning to reassess their relationship with work.
NomadPro was created to assist those on the journey, capitalising on the global cultural shift and enabling modern workers to discover the sweet spot between their professional careers and personal well-being.
That’s how Mitsubishi and Fuso put it anyway. Working with Tokyo-based designers Dream Drive, this fit-for-purpose truck offers users the function of an office alongside the ability to get away from it all.
NomadPro has a WiFi/TV set-up, tiny kitchen – sink, induction stove, fridge, water cooler – an equally tiny wet bathroom with shower and toilet, an adjustable workstation, an additional table that can be stowed away, and a pull-out bed. The right side of the vehicle can be opened to form both a hinged roof and deck.
The team channeled Fuso’s roots by incorporating Japanese design cues into the interior. Nature has historically been central to Japanese design, and the truck features bamboo wood flooring with tile inlays, natural wood finishes, and tatami-style (woven mat) seating.
Four stone tiles at the entrance hint at a traditional garden, leading the user into the nature beyond. Further Japanese influences can be found in the shower room with the hinoki (cypress wood) bath stool and oke or Japanese bathing bowl.
The external livery is another nod to Japanese design, as the modern-looking graphic was inspired by the traditional textile design of yagasuri. The pattern, originally based on bird-of-prey feathers used for fletching on arrows, represents swift movement.
Mitsubishi insists NomadPro is only a concept, designed to maximise the use of space to allow urban professionals to switch from work mode to relax mode. There’s nothing from the company about potential production or pricing.