GROW

GROW

GROW

[Challenge]:

According to the World Bank’s report, Global Waste is estimated to increase by 70% on the current levels by 2050. Thus there is an urgency for people to take actions on global waste to sustain the current standards of living in the future.

Ever since ‘Sustainable Development’ was defined, different policies and plans have been enacted for action worldwide, one effective approach is to implement Circular Economy to realise the goal of zero waste by Material Management.

As we are now in the process of Industry 4.0 in which computers and automation come together in an entirely new way, more tools are emerging to help us with the goal of zero waste, within this context, this project aims to achieve Material and Energy Efficiency for Automotive Design by using those tools.


[Concept Outcome]:

“GROW” is a project that aims to achieve Material and Energy Efficiency for Vehicle Designs within the context of Industry 4.0.

With the prediction for the future Eco-system of the automotive industry, this project combined different approaches triggered by the ‘technology push’ and the ‘application pull’ to form an Innovative Design and Manufacturing Process for Autonomous EVs equipped with half-size small in-wheel hub motors, 4D radar, and ultrasonic sensors.

Through the use of Generative Design (simulation), unnecessary material of the vehicle’s frame was eliminated as well as remaining the structure an optimal strength, combining with the 4D Printing technology developed by the MIT, the surface of the vehicle would be able to self-assemble along the pre-programmed path, resulting in achieving great material and energy efficiency.

By applying the 4D Material to the interior, which could then change shape to fit itself to the users’ pose according to the user’s personal ergonomic data, with an energy source, the Mass Customisation goal within the eco-system could be easily achieved.

The combination of those approaches will no doubt lead us to a more sustainable and promising future.

(The research adopts qualitative methodology and was validated through content analysis.)

The Frame Prototype experimented with 3D printed clear silicon is in the size of 210mm*97mm*52mm.

However, due to the restrictions caused by the Pandemic, the 4D printed material wasn’t able to be experimented with, an animation simulating the process was substituted instead.

https://vimeo.com/562720806

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mengmin-cai-8a4aba108

The proposal of this project breaks the traditional paradigm of mass production which has long been disconnecting end-users from other stakeholders. 

Regardless of the results that might directly cause to other creatures on earth rather than humans in order to boost the economy, technology that what are thought to be the mainstreams during the traditional manufacturing process in this fast-growing era seems to be inevitable. However, the symbiotic relationship between us and other creatures does not go weak, to some extent, we would receive backlash from the environment we’ve destructed, from other creatures we chose to sacrifice, the consequences could be unpredictable under the butterfly effect. 

In this project, a system-level approach was adopted to apply to the manufacturing of vehicles for the long-term sustainability of the global environment, of the human-creatures symbiosis. It shifts the manufacturing process towards an ‘elevated echelon’ of taking all stakeholders into consideration while making a creation by utilising generative design and 4D printing to keep both the uniqueness of every vehicle as well as significantly saving the material and energy used during the manufacturing. This does not only meet the SDGs’ goals but also shows that the proper use of technologies could help us greatly to maintain a sustainable future.

‘GROW' provides the prospect of building a promising future without sacrificing the human needs but to make it more democratic and customised, as the word said, ‘energise the world and make our lives ideal’.