From prosthetics to architectural models to supercars, it’s no secret that practical, usable applications for 3D-printing are finally starting to, ahem, take shape.
Add this to the list of recent breakthroughs:
A 3D-printed house powered by a 3D-printed car.
Dubbed the Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy Demonstration Project (AMIE), this all-in-one renewable energy solution could dramatically impact the way we live in the future.
Led by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and designed and constructed by SOM — the same architecture firm behind the Burj Khalifa and One World Trade Center — the AMIE cabin is a single-room, 38-foot-long structure that looks the part of a modern utopia: a clean, white building module sporting rib-like panels on its flanks.
The tandem vehicle, meanwhile, includes an onboard power generator that flips on when driven, and can then bidirectionally transfer energy to the home while parked. Quite a feat.
Check out more looks and the video below or head to ORNL’s website for more info.