A 3D printed ferry could be part of the 2024 Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympics are still a year away, but it already looks like 3D printing will have a role of its own. The French inland waterways body Vois Navigables de France (VNF) is looking for eco-friendly river vessels for the 2024 Olympics for athletes and visitors to use as transport. In December, three projects were selected for this venture, including one led by Holland Shipyards Group, Sequana Développement and Roboat. And as mentioned, we're particularly interested in them because they'll be at least partially 3D-printed. According to the companies, the hull of the ferry will be entirely 3D printed from recycled materials. The boat will be able to carry up to 35 people at a time along the Seine River, where the water games will take place.
The world famous race starts on July 26, 2024, this time in Paris, France. Amid the preparatory process to achieve infrastructure, housing and venue quotas (among others) for a successful event, the French government challenged all involved to protect the environment and work in a way that respects the climate challenges we face today.
In its official press release, the VNF stated:
"River transport offers a great opportunity to meet climate and environmental challenges as an alternative to road transport for the mobility of people and the logistics of goods."VNF is experimenting with transport operators, local authorities and industrialists with new applications of waterways, such as "last mile" logistics or the use of innovative, low-carbon modes of propulsion.
Therefore, with this in mind, the call for greener ferries has been made to help create autonomous, zero-emission boats.
The boats will be autonomous, thanks to integrated sensors and other sophisticated instruments.
Holland Shipyards Group, Sequana Développement and Roboat are among three successful projects that rely on additive manufacturing to design their autonomous boat. Perhaps the name "Roboat" rings a bell: it's an initiative led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) team to develop autonomous boats that started in Amsterdam. In the case of the 2024 Olympics, it will be a 9-meter-long and 3.9-meter-wide structure with electric propulsion and an automatic docking system. We are particularly interested in the hull of this future river shuttle, made by 3D printing from recycled materials. The style of manufacture of the case is unknown, although it is plausible that either an extrusion machine or even a robotic arm was used. It remains to be seen whether these autonomous ferries will be ready for the Olympics and how many will be located in the capital to facilitate transportation.
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