AMIE, or Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy, is a hybrid of different futuristic technologies, mashed together into a single platform. First, both the house and the vehicle were 3D printed.

The former, a single-room structure, was designed in collaboration with Skidmore, Owings and Merril and features vacuum insulated panels, a micro-kitchen, and a rooftop photovoltaic system.



The car, despite looking a bit like something from Mad Max, can be modified with new, 3D printed parts. It includes an electric hybrid power-train that uses natural gas to supplement the energy provided by the house.

Right now, it's a heavy vehicle, but researchers are working to make it lighter, as well as experimenting with external combustion engines, bio-fuel powered internal combustion engines, hydrogen fuel cells, and flow batteries.




The real jaw-dropping element of the prototype is that it allows a bi-directional flow of energy: from the car to the house, and vice versa.

Today, many electric cars can be plugged into your house with minimal structural changes, replacing your gas station bills with an added charge to your electric bill. But in the AMIE project, the car could also power the house (ie. at night or during a storm).

There's even more: the energy flow is wireless.