A Robot Arm Folds These Electric Motorcycles As Effortlessly As Paper Origami
The term “origami” may bring to mind an image of delicately-folded paper cranes, or the colorful patterns of crisp paper ready to be crafted. It’s not really something that may be associated with motorcycles, but that’s about to change with Swedish firm Stilride.
Pioneering a new process called Stilfold, the company’s new electric motorcycle is created by folding sheets of steel using a robotic arm, just as anyone would lay out a sheet of paper to fold a little creature out of.
“I saw the potential for the ‘industrial origami’ process by seeing the folded structure that was made from one sheet of paper,” Jonas Nyvang, one of the startup’s co-founders, tells Fast Company.
Apart from the incredible feat of creating a vehicle in such a way in the first place, the Stilride motorcycle is said to reduce the need for separate parts by up to 70%, taking 130 components down to a mere 15 in its first prototype.
Folding the structure apparently gives it more strength while reducing its weight, which is perfect for a vehicle like this.
Tons of material is saved as well, alongside the environmental and financial cost of shipping elements across continents to create a single bike. Instead of building large central factories, the motorcycles can be built nearer to the customer.
“It means there’s huge potential to partner with local metal workshops all over the world,” Nyvang’s co-founder Tue Beijer explains to Sifted.
In total, the firm claims, this process will allow for a 40% reduction in weight and up to 20% lower material costs. Thanks to the robotic nature of the process, labor costs can also be reduced by 25%.
The company states that the unique software and attachment used to autonomously fold the origami motorcycles makes the process easier, and totally unique to the firm for now. Using the same process, things like furniture can also be produced.
Sifted has also reported that, considering all these factors, a Stilride motorcycle is capable of saving up to half of the climate impact of its “nearest competitor.”
Although its products haven’t hit the market yet, there are plans for the first model—the Sports Utility Scooter 1, or SUS1—to go on sale in Europe later this year. According to the firm, it’ll have a top speed of 60 miles an hour and a range of roughly 75 miles.
Eventually, Stilride hopes to be able to produce all its vehicles with either recycled steel or steel made from green hydrogen, as opposed to fossil fuels for an even more sustainable practice.
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[via Fast Company and Sifted, images via Stilride]
