functional wooden car resembling time machine comes to life after it was designed with AI

Building a handmade car with exposed cogwheels

Truong Van Dao of ND Woodworking Art builds a handmade wooden car with exposed, moving cogwheels for his son, a step-up from his wooden Tesla Cybertruck in 2023. He used artificial intelligence to draft the overall design and parts of his concept vehicle, and the end result is a functional ride that has a body, handcrafted and sculpted, resembling a time machine. Attention to detail comes forth in every angle for the functional wooden AI car: the uniform lines of the giant wheel body, the precise cuts of the cogs, the flowy designs of the rims.

A vortex-like shape springs into sight when the time-machine car is viewed from the side, capturing the look of the warping effect when the people start to enter the portal to the past or future. Inside, the vehicle can accommodate a single person, but this may depend on their size. Since Truong Van Dao crafted the wooden AI car for his son, it seems that he can drive around his vehicle with his son in front of him, and an extra passenger, his daughter in this car, can also tag along behind them.

all video stills ‘I Built A Car For My Child From AI’s Imagination’ courtesy of ND Woodworking Art, via Youtube

functional wooden AI car with a time machine-looking body

For this functional wooden AI car, Truong Van Dao started with the chassis, made of metal. The circular forms that ground the foundation of its time-machine body are more visible. It is a painstaking process that takes time. Each body part is sculpted and handmade from light wood, from the curves of the rims and the frame to the individual cogwheels and parts that move along with the concept vehicle. Truong Van Dao pieces them all together, and for the cogwheels, he ties them all up with screws, so that they just begin rolling as soon as the car moves.

The ND Woodworking Art founder and father varnishes his functional wooden AI car, and to complete sculpted work, he includes a set of headlamps to alert the passersby of its speed. The vehicle is built with around four giant batteries inside its chassis, and its slow speed may be more suitable for children when they drive the car. Since the frame is built from metal then covered in wood, the concept vehicle may be deemed heavy for a sculpture. As of publishing the story, Truong Van Dao documented the process of making his time machine-looking concept car on his Youtube channel for those who may want to build their own functional wooden AI car.

rear view of the functional wooden car designed with AI and a body resembling a time machine