Three 3-D printed drones designed by Chris Green and manufactured by The University Of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre’s (AMRC) Design and Prototyping Group (DPG) are now on display as part of the British Design Museum in London’s annual ‘Designers in Residence’ show. Green’s exhibit ‘Aerial Futures’ explores creative uses for drones and the ways drone technology could become commonplace over the next ten years.
Green first discovered the DPG through the Knowledge Transfer Network, which had recently visited the design, prototyping and testing center at the AMRC. The AMRC center is responsible for designing the world’s first fused deposition modelled (FDM) acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) flying wing. The group also has experience designing, manufacturing and flight testing a prototype drone airframe made with an ABS-carbon fiber composite. For those reasons, Green saw the AMRC as an ideal fit for his vision.
Each 3-D printed drone had a different, non-militaristic “urban application.” One was designed to be a personal home companion, another would serve as an autonomous farming system and the third would be an environmental data-gatherer.
