Collaborative Fab: Building the Next Generation of Specialty Cars?
07-30-11, 05:47 AM
#1
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Collaborative Fab: Building the Next Generation of Specialty Cars?
DIY a street-legal rally-racer? Popular Science says if you're really serious about going hands-on with your next car, Local Motors may have the answer for you. Combining a fully engineered kit car backed by a team of skilled engineers and fabricators, you and a couple of friends can assemble your hobby car in a couple of weekends - assisted during the week by a team of experienced fabricators.
Need a little incentive? How's this:
More at: http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/20...-auto-industry
Need a little incentive? How's this:
More at: http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/20...-auto-industry
07-30-11, 06:40 AM
#3
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That's right! A couple of weeks ago the first "crowdsourced" military vehicle was presented to the President and Congress, the XC2V, FLYPmode, basically the interpretation of a combat-experienced Marine and a few of his buds. The whole concept comes from letting the guys with the boots on the ground design what THEY need, rather than let conventional defense industry mull over the design for twenty or thirty years before delivering a vehicle that is already obsolete in the modern battlespace.
Take the Humvee. It was designed as a follow-on to the ubiquitous Jeep, but somewhere along the line the whole field environment changed. "Mission creep" set in and suddenly the little utility-scout became a heavy truck. The vehicle was an outstanding answer to the cold war's old "land war in Europe" scenario, but like many of our weapons and vehicles, poorly adapted to an international terrorist war in the desert where speed, agility, and survivability counts.
Battles were no longer fought from established "lines", but as a series of strategic skirmishes that required our warriors to move from one hotspot to the next with some measure of security. The Humvee had to be armored, and a variety of weapons, electronics, and protection systems were hung on the original plan to make it more useful - and survivable - in the kind of warfare we found ourselves in from Bosnia to Iraq and Afghanistan.
What if the guys with the front row seats could design their own vehicle - one that allowed experienced troops to collaborate via the internet in the development of their own ride and built to their specific needs? What if that design could be fast-tracked into production within, say a year? Rather than spend twenty years optimizing a design for every possible contingency, why not build what works for the situation at hand, then get it into the hands of the guys who need it?
FLYPmode, four months from cocktail napkin sketch to roll-out. Designed for visibility,
protection and performance (via an LS-3 engine), the XC2V is light and fast.
This may run counter to the standard defense industry practice, but maybe it's time the procurement system changed. With internet collaboration, sophisticated CAD systems, computerized finite element analysis, off-the-shelf parts, and rapid prototyping, a mockup can be produced in a few weeks and a full prototype readied for testing in a few months. With the emphasis on practicality rather than perfection, we have the industrial tools to equip our warfighters with the implements they need to do their jobs with minimal delivery delay. What's more, we don't have a new generation of soldiers and marines fighting today's battle with the tools of the last generation.
More from Popular Science at: http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2...-manufacturing
Whaddya think, Josh? You've had plenty of experience in this area - what would YOU and your soldiers build for a fast means of getting in and out of a tight situation?
Take the Humvee. It was designed as a follow-on to the ubiquitous Jeep, but somewhere along the line the whole field environment changed. "Mission creep" set in and suddenly the little utility-scout became a heavy truck. The vehicle was an outstanding answer to the cold war's old "land war in Europe" scenario, but like many of our weapons and vehicles, poorly adapted to an international terrorist war in the desert where speed, agility, and survivability counts.
Battles were no longer fought from established "lines", but as a series of strategic skirmishes that required our warriors to move from one hotspot to the next with some measure of security. The Humvee had to be armored, and a variety of weapons, electronics, and protection systems were hung on the original plan to make it more useful - and survivable - in the kind of warfare we found ourselves in from Bosnia to Iraq and Afghanistan.
What if the guys with the front row seats could design their own vehicle - one that allowed experienced troops to collaborate via the internet in the development of their own ride and built to their specific needs? What if that design could be fast-tracked into production within, say a year? Rather than spend twenty years optimizing a design for every possible contingency, why not build what works for the situation at hand, then get it into the hands of the guys who need it?
FLYPmode, four months from cocktail napkin sketch to roll-out. Designed for visibility,
protection and performance (via an LS-3 engine), the XC2V is light and fast.
This may run counter to the standard defense industry practice, but maybe it's time the procurement system changed. With internet collaboration, sophisticated CAD systems, computerized finite element analysis, off-the-shelf parts, and rapid prototyping, a mockup can be produced in a few weeks and a full prototype readied for testing in a few months. With the emphasis on practicality rather than perfection, we have the industrial tools to equip our warfighters with the implements they need to do their jobs with minimal delivery delay. What's more, we don't have a new generation of soldiers and marines fighting today's battle with the tools of the last generation.
More from Popular Science at: http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2...-manufacturing
Whaddya think, Josh? You've had plenty of experience in this area - what would YOU and your soldiers build for a fast means of getting in and out of a tight situation?
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