Local Motors is one of those companies that was gone too soon. With a catchy product, a 3D printed autonomous shuttle, Local Motors was changing the way mobility could be done on campuses or large factories. Somehow, I have always believed they will rise from their own ashes. RapidFlight, an unmanned aircraft manufacturing company headquartered in Virginia, makes me believe today this idea is probably not the worst.
By acquiring the intellectual property (IP) portfolio of Local Motors, the company underscores its commitment to deploying additive manufacturing (AM) technologies to meet its national security customers needs.
“We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of Local Motors’ IP portfolio, which aligns perfectly with our mission to revolutionize the unmanned aircraft industry through advanced additive manufacturing technologies. We are bringing cutting-edge technologies from the venture-funded commercial sector to the national security space and delivering products to the DoD with them,” said Jay Gundlach, Ph.D., RapidFlight’s Chief Executive Officer.
RapidFlight’s M2 UAS is supported by advanced additive manufacturing techniques. While we don’t know exactly which ones, we do know this acquisition will enable the company to access Local Motors’ extensive intellectual property resources, including patents, designs, and engineering expertise. This means that they could accelerate their product development efforts for their UAS products in weeks rather than years.
“Local Motors was in business for more than a decade. It was funded through millions of dollars of venture investment and developed critical large format AM technologies in partnership with some of the most reputable US government laboratories. We have acquired the fruits of all that labor and are bolstering RapidFlight’s own family of patent applications through this acquisition,” said Brad Schneider, RapidFlight’s Chief Operating Officer.
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