Sep 9, 2016 | By Tess
Local Motors, the Phoenix, Arizona-based company that is driving innovation forward in the field of 3D printed vehicles, is looking to take its Strati 3D printed car to the next level with the help of Mouser Electronics Inc. and engineer Grant Imahara, whom you’ll recognize from Discovery’s MythBusters. That is, the collaborative team has announced that it will be building an autonomous version of the Strati, which will have a fully transforming cockpit.
The idea for the new car design was actually conceived of by Finn Younkers, an engineer from Rhode Island who was announced as the winner of Local Motors and Mouser Electronics recent “Essence of Autonomy Challenge,” in which they asked participants to imagine creative and innovative features that a Local Motors 3D printed self-driving could have. Younkers’ winning idea, called FLY-MODE, proposed adding a mounted drone on the rear of the autonomous vehicle that could fly overhead of the car, giving the driver a wider birds-eye-view of his surrounding environment.
Just imagine being driven down a country road in your self-driving car, and having the chance to see what beautiful natural sceneries are just on the other side of the road, or being able to capture aerial shots of your car driving down said roads—the possibilities are endless! Without worrying about keeping eyes on the road, why not keep your eyes on something amazing?
"Local Motors already had most of the technology to make the autonomous vehicle figured out. This project was about taking it to the next level," explained Grant Imahara. "To do this we called on the imaginations of engineers all across the world. Mouser's Empowering Innovation Together program and vast array of parts enabled this, so it was a great partnership to bring our shared vision to life."
Together, Local Motors, Mouser Electronics, and Grant Imahara will work on realizing the 3D printed car, which we are sure will be an awesome addition to Local Motors’ already impressive catalog of 3D printed cars. According to a press release, electronic components for the innovative car design will be supplied by Maxim and Murata, Platinum Sponsors of Mouser’s “Empowering Innovation Together” series. Gold Sponsors, Lumileds and Phoenix Contact will also help to realize the 3D printed car by supplying parts.
Local Motors Co-founder and CEO John B. Rogers, Jr. expressed excitement about the project saying: "The Local Motors approach to direct digital manufacturing and the ingenuity of our co-creation community means that we have the ability to partner with cutting-edge suppliers like Mouser Electronics to bring innovations to life at unprecedented speeds. The Mouser Strati offers a glimpse into the future of autonomous driving right now.”
Finn Younkers, who conceived of the novel idea, was invited to the Local Motors factory in Phoenix and will ultimately be invited to partake in the car’s final build process. Younkers will also participate in the production video about the making of the autonomous 3D printed car, which will also feature Local Motors and Imahara. Be sure to tune in for the release of the video, which we are eagerly awaiting!
Posted in 3D Printer Company
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