Carleton University’s James Nugent, Michael Mackay-MacLaren, and Gabriel Wong were extremely excited to show off a 3D-printed bike they developed, that is, until it literally fell apart in front of a roomful of media personnel.
Looking to create the “IKEA of bikes”, the trio believed they had a unique product, one that could easily be mass produced.
Wong volunteered to be the first one to test the bike, which unfortunately snapped at the head tube because the trio printed the bike hollow and not solid.
With that being said, the three engineers responded to the mishap extremely well, citing that failure represents the opportunity to refine their product.
Here is their full statement:
“With the frame being tested we now had to examine the wreckage to identify the failure methods. As engineers, we take failure as the optimal chance to refine and redesign any flaws we find in our original design. In the near future, we will be testing again with the hope of finishing before the looping makes us too dizzy to think.”
