2006 Volkswagen Nanospyder

(from Volkswagen Press Release) VW – Nanospyder  Designers: Patrick Faulwetter, Daniel Simon and Ian Hunter

In the year 2015 the Department of Transportation mandated that vehicles are to be 100% recyclable. In addition, to keep up with the latest safety standards, the vehicles will have a lifespan of 5 years.

We envision that Volkswagen would respond to this mandate by initiating a company-wide change in the manufacturing processes by adopting and adapting the latest advances in nano-technology to eventually create a vehicle that would not only meet the requirements, but exceed all expectations.

The Volkswagen Nanospyder would be the cutting edge of recyclability. It would use nano-technology to create a vehicle capable of being assembled, disassembled, and reassembled on a microscopic level. Billions of tiny nano-machines no larger than a half a millimeter in diameter would attach to
one another in a large assembly tank. This method would create vehicles that are optimized for strength, weight and safety to an unprecedented degree.

The ability to vary the apparent density of the frame would allow us to engineer “crumple zones“ for safety. Using sensor data the nano-machines would be able to sense an impending collision and strengthen or weaken their connection to each other to ensure the survival of the passengers.