Rome, 2nd February – There is a new product that’s bridging the gap between the virtual world and the real world: 3DRacers – smartphone-controlled mini cars made entirely with 3D printing.
And it is on Indiegogo right now.
Presented at the Rome Maker Faire 2014, 3DRacers are small, radio-controlled cars you can drive with your phone, or with a custom-built, and also 3D-printed, remote controller.
Playing with 3DRacers is easy: you can just plug in the battery and race with your friends, with the help of automatic lap times. Or if you prefer you can also hack into the source code, using the Open Source code and electronics, which are also Arduino compatible.
What really makes this product unique is that it will be the first ever of its kind to be produced with distributed manufacturing: the mini cars will be produced through a network of 10,000 printing hubs worldwide, thanks to a partnership with the popular printing network 3DHubs (www.3dhubs.com).
In this way, each car can be customised online with the free editor (www.3dracers.com), with a choice of several accessories, car bodies and colours. All this variety will ensure that no one will share the same car design. And since it’s possible to create a new design, or even an entirely new kind of vehicle, with the Open-Source components, a huge community of fans is already growing behind the product, producing new content each week.
The game is like Mario Kart, but in the real world – with automatic lap times and an online scoreboard that will allow others to compete against your track record; pit-stops with simulated tyres and fuel consumption; and a battle mode with turbo lanes and power-ups. All of this played out on the floor of your home, on a track created by you using either 3D-printed or Papercraft elements, or with the official track mat.
The game is on Indiegogo at 49$ if you can 3D-print it yourself, or 75$ including 3D printing through distributed manufacturing;
A special package for schools is also available, with a 10-lesson guide to learning programming with 3DRacers, written by the team. It’s a great opportunity to take advantage of the fun factor of the game to introduce kids to programming in an enjoyable way.
Gameplay video: youtu.be
Customisation video: youtu.be
Online editor: www.3dracers.com
Media: www.dropbox.com
Other media are available on request: press@3dracers.com
