Description du projet
Mise en place d’un fauteuil roulant entièrement personnalisé
L’impossibilité d’accéder aux espaces publics dans les zones urbaines en raison d’une mobilité réduite est une dure réalité pour des millions de personnes âgées et atteintes d’un handicap. Le projet FreeWheel, financé par l’UE, entend changer la donne en introduisant FreeWheel, une nouvelle solution de mobilité urbaine innovante favorisant l’inclusion sociale grâce à des services de mobilité abordables et personnalisables. Cette solution intègre un module «actif intelligent» autonome, plusieurs interfaces personnalisées et une application, permettant aux personnes âgées et atteintes d’un handicap d’accéder facilement et en toute sécurité aux espaces publics dans les zones urbaines. Plus précisément, le concept modulaire de FreeWheel est basé sur des modules standard reconfigurables et peu coûteux, ainsi que sur des interfaces ultra-personnalisées produites par fabrication additive. Cette solution permet non seulement de réduire les délais de fabrication et les coûts d’investissement, mais également d’avoir un impact environnemental très faible.
Objectif
FreeWheel promotes social inclusion of disabled and elderly people through a urban mobility solution consisting of a unit integrating an autonomous “smart active” module, multiple custom interfaces and an app. Such a solution can be either rented (a sharing service available at in-door and out-door urban facilities), or sold; in the latter case the unit includes a fully personalized wheelchair.
FreeWheel satisfies the need for customization, both on the user and on the vehicle side, through the implementation of a modular concept based on standard reconfigurable, low-cost modules (e.g. engine, gears, control unit, HMI, etc.) and on ultra-customized interfaces (e.g. body-to-vehicle, engine-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, etc.), produced via additive manufacturing. Re-configurability is achieved through an easy exchange of standard modules in different products.
A further objective is making affordable the lifecycle cost of the above-mentioned mobility service (and/or product) through an innovative business model that offers mobility as a service (independent of vehicle ownership) and by leveraging dematerialization (reduction of manufacturing lead times and investment costs) and product re-configurability.
The expected impact is:
- Social inclusion of elderly and disabled citizens: the project will demonstrate affordability and safety in accessing public spaces in urban areas;
- Short time-to-market: 70% less than the conventional approach.
- Significant cost reduction in the manufacturing of a personalised wheelchair unit as a result of the re-usability and adaptability of personalised products components;
- Ultra-low environmental impact: re-usability of modules and efficient manufacturing leading to more than 70% in environmental impact reduction regarding primary resources consumed while offering this mobility service.
Champ scientifique
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringfibers
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringinformation engineeringtelecommunicationsmobile phones
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcompositescarbon fibers
- social sciencessocial geographytransportpublic transport
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineeringadditive manufacturing
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
IA - Innovation actionCoordinateur
10135 Torino
Italie
L’entreprise s’est définie comme une PME (petite et moyenne entreprise) au moment de la signature de la convention de subvention.