The German firm BigRep specializes in advanced techniques in the field of 3D printing. The company has presented a design prototype of a fully 3D-printed, autonomous electric podcar. This 3D-printed concept car is called LOCI.
The BigRep LOCI was envisioned and designed by NOWLAB, the innovation consultancy at BigRep, as a last-mile transport solution for urban areas, airports, short-haul and train station departures, daily work commutes, campus transport, and local deliveries.
LOCI is built with only 14 parts and measures 85 cm x 146 cm x 285 cm, with the largest single component measuring 1000 x 600 x 700 mm. All components were on the systems Bigrep Pro, Bigrep Studio G2, and Bigrep One system. The body consists of high-temperature-resistant 3D print material PRO HT and bumpers made of the PLX material from BigRep. The beams and joints were printed with nylon 6 (PA6 / 66) and thermoplastic polyurethane tires.
No details are known about electric drive and autonomous control. BigRep mentions a media display with a touch screen, surround sound audio, wireless charging of the smartphone, and LED lighting.
The company showcased the model in three different iterations:
- The first, Berlin LOCI, is a single-seat campus commuter. It has a sleek design, touchscreen media display, surround sound audio, wireless phone/device charging, integrated LED lighting, TPU airless tires, and embedded BigRep Part DNA technology.
- Next, the San Francisco LOCI is intended for urban commuters. San Francisco has a narrow body, two passenger seats, and a single door on the right.
- Finally, the Dubai LOCI allows for luxurious airport transportation and has solar panels, luggage storage, and desert-grade, rugged tires.
Intelligent maintenance:
The LOCI-used BigRep Part DNA technology is based on NFC chips, which are already integrated into the 3D-printed components. The chip can be scanned with a mobile device so that each component is identifiable.
In the future, it can be additionally integrated with sensors to monitor part status and provide maintenance or replacement information: you just need to scan the part and print a replacement.
