A car that launches a drone—where’s Q? This feels a bit like a James Bond movie. The car is a 3D printed collaboration between Mouser Electronics Inc. and Local Motors for the Mouser Empowering Innovation Together program.

The video shows the final vehicle build, complete with “Fly Mode” drone interoperability. Fly Mode features a drone mounted on the rear of the vehicle that, when launched, gives the driver and passenger a birds-eye view of the surroundings. Both can watch the drone’s footage on dashboard-mounted viewing screens, providing a 360-degree perspective of the surroundings.

Celebrity engineer Grant Imahara was on hand for the first official test drive, along with the winner of the Essence of Autonomy design contest, Finn Yonkers, whose design was the inspiration for this unique Empowering Innovation Together project. The project’s overall aim was to explore the fascinating options available once self-driving vehicles become the norm.

“I am thrilled to see the Mouser Strati come to life,” said Local Motors Co-founder and CEO John B. Rogers, Jr. “This partnership is an example of the unprecedented speed at which innovative vehicles can come to life through the combined power of cutting-edge suppliers, advanced manufacturing and co-creation.”

Features of this innovative build combine electronic components from Mouser’s manufacturer partners and platinum sponsors of the series, Maxim and Murata. In addition to platinum sponsors Maxim and Murata, gold sponsors Lumileds and Phoenix Contact made this build possible.

Mouser Electronics
www.mouser.com

Local Motors
www.localmotors.com