A day will come in the future when you can simply chose a design for a product that you want and send it down to your 3D printer, which will create the product as you specified. Just assemble the components to make your own vehicles at the convenience of your home! Sounds very simple when we put it that way, but in reality this technology is in its early stage. Yet, the EADS Airbike is a ready-to-ride 3D-printed Nylon bike.
EADS (European Aerospace and Defence Group) has used a process called additive layer manufacturing that combines 3D printing with laser technology to create the Airbike. The prototype on display is completely functional and is as good as any other normal bike that you pick up from the stores, ready for a ride on the road.
With people increasingly opting for greener modes of transportation, and the ‘bicycle culture’ growing in most modern cities across the globe, options like these could encourage more commuters to follow the trend. Although this kind of technology may not make an impact on the consumer market immediately, designs like the Airbike could prove to be the harbinger of a trend in the near future: designing and creating one’s own products!
Via: Bikerumor
