Italian designer Pierpaolo Lazzarini has crafted a niche for futuristic designs under the Lazzarini Design Studio since 1982 – with most of the creations simply outlandish. The projects by Pierpaolo are mostly centered on the automotive and watercraft concept designs – centered on the future of comfy mobility. The latest blueprint for an amphibious vehicle that can fly is right up there with the best for its sheer design excellence. The Italian design studio calls it the Stratosfera – and it can move on water, land, as well as in air. According to the designer, there are submarine and snowcat variants of the vehicle also under development. I can already imagine getting on board and having a thrilling ride on this futuristic concept!

The vehicle is dubbed Stratosfera Aquatica in watercraft mode – having a spherical design measuring 1.65 meters in diameter – like a small pod for two people. The sphere is made out of ultra-lightweight carbon fiber material, and in the water mode, it has a very low center of gravity since the batteries are fitted inside the lower end of the extendable foil setup. This acts as a gyroscope to keep the sphere pod stable via the self-balancing system for a smooth ride en route to the destination. This ensures the tilting angle of the Stratosfera counters any abrupt movement for a comfort-laden ride for the passengers. The pod is powered by twin 150 hp electric jet engines – propelling it forward high above the water at speeds of 30 knots – and when the speed is slowed down the pod comes down on the surface of the water.

In the flight mode, the Stratosfera Volatile adapts the characteristics of a quadcopter, flying at speed of 250 km/h eVTOL or can be set up for solar-powered flying mode too. The good news is that the Jet Capsule company plans to launch Stratosfera as an open-source project by mid-2022. This will immensely help in futuristic mobility study as owners will be able to contribute to the development and designing upgrades of the watercraft.

Designer: Lazzarini Design Studio

Stratosfera Aquatica

Stratosfera Volatile