Urban Transport

Air-powered Lego car hits the street

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Power seems to come from the center mounted console shifter as no accelerator peddle is noticeable
The Lego roadster's engineering and build dynamics are impressive given the medium
Designed by self-taught designer, 20 year-old Raul Oaida of Romania, the Lego roadster is magically powered by a secret amalgam of Lego pieces and pump parts
The air-powered Lego roadster is based on a traditional hot rod design
The Lego roadster is air-powered by 256 pistons inside 4 orbital engines ... no power ratings were divulged at this time
Designer Raul Oaida in the driver's seat with funding organizer and partner, Steve Sammartino in the passenger seat
The air-powered Lego roadster is reported to be the first of many in a series of projects for the Super Awesome Microproject team
A myriad of hose work surrounds the 4 orbital engines providing air to the 256 pistons
The nose on the 256 pistoned engine looks remarkably similar to a radial engine used in aircraft applications
Power seems to come from the center mounted console shifter as no accelerator peddle is noticeable
The designers report a top speed of 30 km/h (18 mph) for the car, but the speed was purposely kept low during test runs to avoid a potential Lego explosion
Co-founder Steve Sammartino would not divulge details about the vehicle's transmission, power output or how air is generated
Over 500,000 pieces of black, yellow and transparent Lego were used to construct the vehicle
The doors are functional and 100 percent Lego
the low profile windscreen was built using transparent Lego blocks
The pixelated steering wheel would be less than ideal for a lengthy roadtrip
The steering wheel is Lego but the gauges monitoring the engine's air pressure and outputs are off the shelf items
The load bearing components, including tires, wheels and other miscellaneous parts are non-Lego
View gallery - 17 images

The perfect do-it-yourself gift for budding designers and architects during the holiday season has to be Lego. The small blocks of plastic with millions of design outcomes have entertained many a child since the early 1950s. Now an ambitious duo has snapped together 500,000 pieces of the stuff to create the world’s first air-powered Lego roadster.

Whereas the air-powered Lego roadster isn’t on the scale of the full-size X-Wing fighter or the musical level of the Toa Mata Band, it is most definitely up there in terms of innovation and creativity.

The open-aired Lego mobile, designed by 20 year-old Raul Oaida of Romania, is somehow magically powered by a top secret amalgam of Lego pieces and pump parts. With a mechanical design arrangement that would make even the most hardcore of automotive engineers drool, the Lego-mobile is driven by four orbital engines, each holding 256 pistons, or 64 per Lego engine block.

Though Gizmag tried to get more information on the drivetrain, horsepower, and torque ratings, Melbourne entrepreneur/fund raising partner, Steve Sammartino was unwilling to divulge design secrets or specs at this time. We can tell you that through some Lego air-powered magic, the car is capable of hitting a top speed of 30 km/h (18 mph). The team is quick to point out the car's speed was purposely kept low so as to avoid tiny Lego explosions from within one of the 256 Lego cylinders.

Not everything on the vehicle is Lego. According to the team, load bearing components, including wheels, tires and steering control mechanisms are of a metallic nature, as are the air pressure gauges on the console. However, items like doors, the steering wheel, seats and even the low profile transparent windscreen all appear to be 100 percent Lego-based.

Funded by over forty investors via a crowd-funding exercise, the Lego mobile is but the first in a series of bigger projects for the duo of Sammartino and Oaida.

You can see the air-powered Lego hot rod in action in the video below.

Source: Super Awesome Microproject

View gallery - 17 images
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4 comments
Slowburn
I wish I could afford that many Lego blocks.
The Skud
You're not alone there Slowburn - I would be happy to have that much genius to be able to build that amazing-looking engine! I wonder where they hide the compressed air tank?
Charles Taylor
Wow, this vehicle can run with no legos, or not, but I like your thinking. Air power is awesome, and I'm not talking about running a generator.
Mel Tisdale
If two of these collide, it might be very difficult to pull them apart.