3D Printed Electronic Motorcycle

[Diveguy]

Only a proof of concept right now, but pretty amazing.

https://bigrep.com/nera-e-motorbike/

This is why I visualize a lot of parts and supplies being printed/fabbed on site IMTU. Why transport a whole vehicle if you don't need one? Or house huge collections of spare parts? Particularly if at the TL9+ range you can also gather a lot of your raw materials in transit or through on-board fusion/whatever byproducts.

Just thought I'd share.

 

[coliver988]

Ever since T5 came out with the Makers, I've moved in that direction as well. Somewhere on here we've also got food makers. I think I came up with one that can do fancy chocolates for the stewards to place on the pillows, customized per line or even passenger.

But yes: I think even remote stations will have industrial makers and 3D print a good chunk of what they need in terms of tools, parts, even, as per that link, vehicles. A lot easier to ship s giant cube (not gelatinous - wrong game!) and use that for raw material to create what is needed. A solid cube takes a lot less volume, and Traveller shipping is volume-based.

Of course, that *one* part that cannot be printer then has quite the premium. Parts at the speed of plot...

 

[JimMarn]

I think it was Heinlein who mentioned in one of his early works about starships having what he called a 'universal pantograph'. It could take raw materials and make a copy of an item, like machinery, furniture, etc.

In looking back at such stories, the Grand Masters of science fiction never came up with home computers. Nor hand held calculators.

But the then newspaper comic Dick Tracy, 1940s and 1950s, came up with wrist video comminicators. Today we call them cell phones.

 

[aramis]

I think it was Heinlein who mentioned in one of his early works about starships having what he called a 'universal pantograph'. It could take raw materials and make a copy of an item, like machinery, furniture, etc.

In looking back at such stories, the Grand Masters of science fiction never came up with home computers. Nor hand held calculators.

But the then newspaper comic Dick Tracy, 1940s and 1950s, came up with wrist video comminicators. Today we call them cell phones.

No, we call them smartwatches. There are some.
Not all smartwatches are phones (some are just external interfaces), but some are the whole shebang in one tiny package.

 

[JimMarn]

One of my siblings has a smartwatch, but she can only answer the telephone. My cell can allow me to send text, send voice, connect in video real time, or send a video.

If I'm out in the woods and there is no cell phone tower nearby, a possibility, I can operate my 2 meter ham radio hand held, and comunicate via voice to other ham radio operators.