Mouser Electronics Inc. is teaming up with Local Motors and Grant Imahara to build a fully transforming vehicle cockpit for 3D-printed autonomous vehicles. This is the latest series from Mouser’s Empowering Innovation Together educational program.
The build will focus on reimagining the interior of the Local Motors Strati, the world’s first 3D-printed vehicle, to highlight the new possibilities of autonomous car design. Features of this innovative build will combine electronic components from Mouser’s manufacturer partners and Platinum Sponsors of the series, Maxim and Murata.
The design, created by Finn Younkers of Rhode Island, features a drone mounted on the rear of the vehicle that, when launched, gives the driver a birds-eye-view of the surroundings. Younkers’ design was chosen as the winner of the Local Motors Challenge.
“At Mouser, we love to help engineers push the boundaries of innovation. It’s not just fun — it’s rewarding. By increasing innovation and the speed of technology, we can all do more to help humanity and our world,” said Glenn Smith, President and CEO of Mouser Electronics. “We look forward to unveiling the finished product soon. Stay tuned!”
“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,” said 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.”
“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 suppliers like Mouser Electronics to bring innovations to life at unprecedented speeds,” said Local Motors Co-founder and CEO John B. Rogers, Jr. “The Mouser Strati offers a glimpse into the future of autonomous driving right now.”
To read about a previous project in the Empowering Innovation Together series, find out how engineers bring Marvel tech to life.