Periodic Reporting for period 3 - E-RESCUE (E-RESCUE - Changing forever the way we rescue crash victims - Saving time and lives during the Golden Hour)
Période du rapport: 2021-10-01 au 2022-02-28
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What is the problem/issue being addressed?
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THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROBLEM OF BUS ACCIDENTS: in the EU-28, buses and coaches involved in crashes result in 30,000 severely injured passengers and 150 killed every year. These victims have given rise to roughly €7.6bn in costs for EU-28 tax payers (according to the European Transport Safety Council-ETSC).
THE BUS INDUSTRY THEREFORE NEEDS A NEW SOLUTION TO IMPROVE ITS SAFETY LEVELS: standard Active and Passive Safety devices have reached their limits, and as it is impossible to prevent all bus accidents, the bus sector needs to strengthen its safety proposal with a new type of safety system that makes rescuing the injured much more straightforward, faster and safer.
THE SOLUTION: to save lives after a bus crash, the key element is to have the specific medical equipment on site for all the injured, and enough space to work effectively: this is the only way to save time and lives during the Golden Hour.
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Why is it important for society?
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- The E-RESCUE project is aimed at introducing the first post-accident safety system to facilitate the rescue of victims after a bus accident.
- The E-RESCUE device can be installed in any type of bus seat. So, in the case of a crash, the E-RESCUE device makes it possible to immobilise the victims against the backrest of their seat, without moving them. The device then automatically releases the seat from the base, to be used as the stretcher to transfer victims in the safest and fastest way to the hospital and, at the same time, this gains space inside the vehicle for emergency services to work better and faster. With E-RESCUE a standard bus seat becomes a “life saver seat”.
- E-RESCUE saved up to 70% of total rescue time (30 min vs 2 h) in the extrication of victims, as compared to conventional techniques. E-RESCUE has the potential to halve the actual number of fatalities and severe injuries for bus passengers in bus accidents. Translating this numbers into costs, we could be talking about €3.8bn potential cost savings for society in the EU, every year, if E-RESCUE were implemented on a mass scale on European buses.
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What are the overall objectives?
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The value chain in the bus transport industry has 4 links:
Bus Seat Manufactures ==> Bus Manufactures ==> Bus Operators ==> Other Stakeholders (Society)
The 3 first links are our customers because the E-RESCUE system can be installed anywhere in this chain. The key point is that E-RESCUE is a “value differentiator in safety” for all of them, and that is very important in this highly competitive sector.
Obviously, the next step is to introduce E-RESCUE right from the start of the value chain: this means that our company must become a supplier to the industry at large, thus making the business fully scalable. However, first we must overcome two market barriers:
- approving our device for each seat model design selected for each bus model (homologation).
- publicising this radically new concept of safety device and teaching the rescue teams how to work with it.
Overcoming these barriers is the main goal of our SME PHASE 2 project.
What is the problem/issue being addressed?
**********************************************************
THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROBLEM OF BUS ACCIDENTS: in the EU-28, buses and coaches involved in crashes result in 30,000 severely injured passengers and 150 killed every year. These victims have given rise to roughly €7.6bn in costs for EU-28 tax payers (according to the European Transport Safety Council-ETSC).
THE BUS INDUSTRY THEREFORE NEEDS A NEW SOLUTION TO IMPROVE ITS SAFETY LEVELS: standard Active and Passive Safety devices have reached their limits, and as it is impossible to prevent all bus accidents, the bus sector needs to strengthen its safety proposal with a new type of safety system that makes rescuing the injured much more straightforward, faster and safer.
THE SOLUTION: to save lives after a bus crash, the key element is to have the specific medical equipment on site for all the injured, and enough space to work effectively: this is the only way to save time and lives during the Golden Hour.
*******************************************
Why is it important for society?
*******************************************
- The E-RESCUE project is aimed at introducing the first post-accident safety system to facilitate the rescue of victims after a bus accident.
- The E-RESCUE device can be installed in any type of bus seat. So, in the case of a crash, the E-RESCUE device makes it possible to immobilise the victims against the backrest of their seat, without moving them. The device then automatically releases the seat from the base, to be used as the stretcher to transfer victims in the safest and fastest way to the hospital and, at the same time, this gains space inside the vehicle for emergency services to work better and faster. With E-RESCUE a standard bus seat becomes a “life saver seat”.
- E-RESCUE saved up to 70% of total rescue time (30 min vs 2 h) in the extrication of victims, as compared to conventional techniques. E-RESCUE has the potential to halve the actual number of fatalities and severe injuries for bus passengers in bus accidents. Translating this numbers into costs, we could be talking about €3.8bn potential cost savings for society in the EU, every year, if E-RESCUE were implemented on a mass scale on European buses.
********************************************
What are the overall objectives?
********************************************
The value chain in the bus transport industry has 4 links:
Bus Seat Manufactures ==> Bus Manufactures ==> Bus Operators ==> Other Stakeholders (Society)
The 3 first links are our customers because the E-RESCUE system can be installed anywhere in this chain. The key point is that E-RESCUE is a “value differentiator in safety” for all of them, and that is very important in this highly competitive sector.
Obviously, the next step is to introduce E-RESCUE right from the start of the value chain: this means that our company must become a supplier to the industry at large, thus making the business fully scalable. However, first we must overcome two market barriers:
- approving our device for each seat model design selected for each bus model (homologation).
- publicising this radically new concept of safety device and teaching the rescue teams how to work with it.
Overcoming these barriers is the main goal of our SME PHASE 2 project.
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Homologation:
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The goal is to develop and overcome the homologation test for our universal mechanism (named MEC-UNI) that allows us to introduce E-RESCUE from the beginning of the value chain. Work performed in this field.
- Cooperation agreements signed with the main seat manufacturers
- Reception of the seats for analysis
- Reverse engineering of seats and development of the new version of universal mechanism
- In-silico validation of the design
- Prototyping
- Laboratory test to validate the design
We are now adapting the MEC-UNI to the seats models of the manufacturers that are collaborating on the project to achieve joint homologation.
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Communication Campaign:
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We have created a demo bus, “the safest bus in the world” called SAFETY PIONEER. With this technological demonstrator we carry out rescue drills to publicize our development and train firefighters in their use. Every time a rescue drill is done, the authorities are also invited to see it, to know its benefits and to demand this new level of safety in public tenders for bus transportation.
We always work so that each of our activities and actions becomes news in the media. To give an example, our demo bus presentation had an audience of over 12 million viewers.
We are constantly making videos of our activities and progress.
We have a presence on social networks.
We made a great effort to be present at the largest fair in the bus sector, Busworld Brussels 2019. It was a complete success and we reinforced our contact in the sector by giving a good image. Now they know us all over the world.
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Training Rescue Teams:
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During our rescue drills we have already trained more than 1,000 professionals in the use of E-RESCUE and we have organized an international Roadshow to carry out rescue drills throughout Europe during the next project year.
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Special action against the COVID-19 crisis:
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The coronavirus crisis has affected the entire world. In our case, the crisis has delayed the first large orders that we are about to sign with 4 clients ...
But in E-RESCUE we carry "saving lives" in our DNA, so we have reacted in less than 1 week and have put all our productive capacity at the service of society. We manufacture more than 1,500 masks and 500 protection screens per day and donate them wherever needed, in hospitals and nursing homes.
In the meantime, we continue to work on improving the design of our MEC-UNI for final approval, we program in all the details of our next roadshow in Europe, the next FIAA bus fair and we work in the contents of our E-RESCUE ACADEMY… in a word, all our activity continues to be focused on moving forward with the fulfilment of our h2020 project until a commercial activity can truly begin.
Homologation:
***********************
The goal is to develop and overcome the homologation test for our universal mechanism (named MEC-UNI) that allows us to introduce E-RESCUE from the beginning of the value chain. Work performed in this field.
- Cooperation agreements signed with the main seat manufacturers
- Reception of the seats for analysis
- Reverse engineering of seats and development of the new version of universal mechanism
- In-silico validation of the design
- Prototyping
- Laboratory test to validate the design
We are now adapting the MEC-UNI to the seats models of the manufacturers that are collaborating on the project to achieve joint homologation.
***********************************
Communication Campaign:
***********************************
We have created a demo bus, “the safest bus in the world” called SAFETY PIONEER. With this technological demonstrator we carry out rescue drills to publicize our development and train firefighters in their use. Every time a rescue drill is done, the authorities are also invited to see it, to know its benefits and to demand this new level of safety in public tenders for bus transportation.
We always work so that each of our activities and actions becomes news in the media. To give an example, our demo bus presentation had an audience of over 12 million viewers.
We are constantly making videos of our activities and progress.
We have a presence on social networks.
We made a great effort to be present at the largest fair in the bus sector, Busworld Brussels 2019. It was a complete success and we reinforced our contact in the sector by giving a good image. Now they know us all over the world.
*******************************
Training Rescue Teams:
*******************************
During our rescue drills we have already trained more than 1,000 professionals in the use of E-RESCUE and we have organized an international Roadshow to carry out rescue drills throughout Europe during the next project year.
******************************************************
Special action against the COVID-19 crisis:
******************************************************
The coronavirus crisis has affected the entire world. In our case, the crisis has delayed the first large orders that we are about to sign with 4 clients ...
But in E-RESCUE we carry "saving lives" in our DNA, so we have reacted in less than 1 week and have put all our productive capacity at the service of society. We manufacture more than 1,500 masks and 500 protection screens per day and donate them wherever needed, in hospitals and nursing homes.
In the meantime, we continue to work on improving the design of our MEC-UNI for final approval, we program in all the details of our next roadshow in Europe, the next FIAA bus fair and we work in the contents of our E-RESCUE ACADEMY… in a word, all our activity continues to be focused on moving forward with the fulfilment of our h2020 project until a commercial activity can truly begin.
The project progresses as planned in each of the 3 pillars: homologations, communication and training.
Our MEC-UNI development has been validated in the laboratory and is presented as a solution to introduce E-RESCUE from the beginning in the value chain. This is the key strategy for large-scale, scalable international sales. One unique E-RESCUE universal-design that can reach the particular needs of all the seats models chosen for a big market opportunity.
Our demonstration bus is something unique in the world and will perfectly serve to carry out the roadshow scheduled for the following year ... this will give us more media impact and allow us to train thousands of firefighters and health and rescue professionals.
Socio-economic impact:
E-RESCUE will be installed in more than 80 public service buses (when COVID-19 allows it).
E-RESCUE is valued and scored in tenders for public transport lines.
E-RESCUE is known throughout the sector and valued by passengers.
We have generated 10 jobs.
Our MEC-UNI development has been validated in the laboratory and is presented as a solution to introduce E-RESCUE from the beginning in the value chain. This is the key strategy for large-scale, scalable international sales. One unique E-RESCUE universal-design that can reach the particular needs of all the seats models chosen for a big market opportunity.
Our demonstration bus is something unique in the world and will perfectly serve to carry out the roadshow scheduled for the following year ... this will give us more media impact and allow us to train thousands of firefighters and health and rescue professionals.
Socio-economic impact:
E-RESCUE will be installed in more than 80 public service buses (when COVID-19 allows it).
E-RESCUE is valued and scored in tenders for public transport lines.
E-RESCUE is known throughout the sector and valued by passengers.
We have generated 10 jobs.