New Technology Brings Product Design to the People
Department:
General Technology
Teaser:
In the new age of open source, custom-fabricated, DIY product design, all you need to conquer the world is a brilliant idea, says Wired editor in chief Chris Anderson
Source:
Wired Top Stories Download time: Jan 26 2010 6:54 AM ET
The door of a dry-cleaner-size storefront in an industrial park in Wareham, Massachusetts, an hour south of Boston, might not look like a portal to the future of American manufacturing, but it is. This is the headquarters of Local Motors, the first open source car company to reach production. Step inside and the office reveals itself as a mind-blowing example of the power of micro-factories.
In June, Local Motors will officially release the Rally Fighter, a $50,000 off-road (but street-legal) racer. The design was crowdsourced, as was the selection of mostly off-the-shelf components, and the final assembly will be done by the customers themselves in local assembly centers as part of a "build experience." Several more designs are in the pipeline, and the company says it can take a new vehicle from sketch to market in 18 months, about the time it takes Detroit to change the specs on some door trim.…
See Wired Top Stories for links to further info.
