Tailor-made

摘要

Mg rover and Ford Premier Automotive Group are investigating technology to allow motorists to design and customise parts of their new car at a local dealership, where they could then be built on site. The companies are taking part in a project led by Loughborough University, which also includes ejector seat specialist Martin Baker Aircraft, JCB Research, and Perkins Engines, to study the potential of rapid manufacturing. The technology, which constructs components layer by layer from a 3D scan, could allow seats, handbrakes and steering wheels to be custom fitted to the driver's shape, said Dr Richard Hague, head of Loughborough's rapid manufacturing research group. 'Our aim is that when you buy a new car, you could have custom-fitted parts. It isn't that far away [from reality].'