Design lecturer Mark Richardson assembled the DIY “FAB Velo” from recycled waste in order to demonstrate that building open products from waste materials is a worthy project.
Image credit: Mark Richardson http://www.psfk.com/2014/01/recycled-part-bike.html
According to the article featured on PSFK, the velomobile is made from household items, scrap materials, off-the-shelf components and 3D parts.
The project was carried out at Monash University Art Design & Architecture in Melbourne, as part of an in-depth look at DIY personal transport, reusability and domestic-scale production, where the team, using 3D-printed couplings, managed to create a modular construction kit, surpassing incompatible source materials and supply chain consistency issues.
The main goal of this one-of-a-kind project was to demonstrate that “product longevity” is achievable with modularity.
The project itself was focused on two primary design explorations – the velomobile, as a means of personal transport and the temostruder 3D printer as a means of its production. The project was also focused on exploring the use of parts from the 3D printer to make an alternative product (the temo st-175 table).
The process of construction is a perfect demonstration of the advantage of 3D printing as an adaptable system of production.
The main components of the “FAB Velo” were sourced from discarded whipper snippers, bikes, tents and a wheelchair, while the outer skin is made from discarded tents and fixed to the frame without sewing.
For further details about the “FAB Velo” velomobil, as well as the design and construction process, visit http://www.designboom.com/design/mark-richardson-develops-diy-fab-velo-from-recycled-waste-01-24-2014/
Or http://www.artdes.monash.edu/design/people.php#!
