PlanetSolar uses Autodesk's digital prototyping solutions for the first solar-powered voyage around the world

Autodesk, a world leader in design software, announces that PlanetSolar, a company based in Germany, is undertaking a project to construct a solar catamaran, in which Autodesk provides technology for digital prototyping. This will help PlanetSolar to design and build the solar catamaran quickly and cost-effectively. Autodesk has supplied the engineers at PlanetSolar with digital prototyping solution products including Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk Alias, as well as software tools AutoCAD Electrical and Autodesk Productstream, which will help digitally design, visualize, and simulate the solar catamaran even before its construction.
The project is the idea of Raphael Domjan, the president of PlanetSolar, who will also pilot the vessel. Through cutting-edge technologies, PlanetSolar aims to demonstrate the potential of renewable resources such as solar energy while accelerating progress in hybrid and electrically powered vehicles.
“Our planet deserves better treatment. We started asking ourselves what the technologies of tomorrow will be, and at the same time, we offered an answer,” explains Domjan. “Engineers and scientists should be more motivated to develop innovative technologies that inspire people and show that we can achieve the impossible. Autodesk software allows our engineers to conduct extensive testing without wasting time and materials on the construction of an expensive physical prototype.”
“Building a real prototype of the vessel would be contrary to the environmental philosophy of the project,” says Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president of the Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk. “Our design software helps designers choose the optimal approach at key points in the design, construction, and manufacturing process. Digital prototyping using Autodesk solutions allows designers to develop products in an environmentally friendly manner with minimal resource use.”
The vessel will be manufactured by Knierim Yachtbau in the German city of Kiel. The first solar-powered voyage around the world is scheduled for 2010 and is expected to take place along the equatorial axis. The voyage, which will cover nearly 25,000 miles (over 40,000 kilometers) at an average speed of 10 knots, will last approximately 120 days and will set several new world records. Stops are planned at major ports, where the general public will be able to learn about the possibilities of using renewable resources and solar energy. For more information, visit www.planetsolar.org.

Note:
An interview with PlanetSolar and Knierim Yachtbau can be viewed on the Autodesk YouTube Channel here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgQiE2uhVLo. To view an animation of the PlanetSolar project, please visit this YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdmc-huYevI.

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About Autodesk
Autodesk is a world leader in 2D and 3D design software for manufacturing, construction, media, and entertainment. Since the introduction of AutoCAD in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of leading digital prototyping solutions that help customers practically test ideas before realization. Fortune 1000 companies use Autodesk tools to visualize, simulate, and analyze the real performance of their designs in the early stages of development, helping them save time and money, increase quality, and foster innovation. For more information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com or www.autodesk.cz.