The Japanese retailer MUJI, known for their minimalist home furnishings and micro-apartment designs, has designed an autonomous vehicle. Teaming up with Sensible 4, a Finnish startup working on weatherproof technology for autonomous vehicles, the two companies have collaborated on a sleek new shuttle bus—the Gacha—uniquely designed to fit all weather conditions.

Companies looking to be global pioneers of automation technology have zoomed in on California and Southern Europe to develop their systems. The Finnish company believes that this will severely hinder the viability of autonomous technology to work in a variety of weather conditions. For example, Tesla's autopilot function works mainly as a video camera-based lane guard. However, as CEO Harri Santamala noted, "if it cannot see the lanes [due to the weather], it is easy to conclude what is going to happen."

Sensible 4's automation technology, alternatively, relies on a multi-sensor system, complete with thermal cameras and radar sensors, in order to ensure adaptability in a variety of environmental conditions. After all, autonomous vehicles "can’t become mainstream until their technology has been insured to work in all climates," he told Fast Company. 

Designed to function in heavy rain, fog, and snow, the Gacha shuttle bus is headed to Finland's rugged arctic wilderness to be tested in Lapland. After which, Fast Company reports, it will hit the streets of Helsinki in 2019 to shuttle passengers in real-life traffic. The company hopes to develop a whole fleet to be rolled out by 2020 so that the weather-proof bus can become part of daily transportation service chain.