Toyota finalists for $ 4 million challenge to reinvent wheelchair



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"Phoenix Ai" is an ultra-light, self-balancing intelligent wheelchairSimon Mckeown / Craig McMullen

A hybrid wheel exoskeleton and an urban wheelchair sharing system are among the top five finalists in the latest Toyota Global Contest. Announced today at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the $ 4 million, 4 million dollar "Mobility Unlimited Challenge" invites engineers, innovators and designers around the world to rethink the conventional wheelchair.

Toyota Mobility Foundation, in partnership with the Global Foundation for Innovation Nesta, & nbsp; Calls on the participants to be truly inventive, creating innovative technology that will help improve mobility, independence and, ultimately, the lives of people with lower limb paralysis. & nbsp; The device must also be practical, comfortable and easy to use; & nbsp; must integrate the end-user into the development phase so that the design integrates perfectly into his life.

"Qolo" is a wheeled exoskeleton that helps users to sit or stand up with easeSimon Mckeown / Craig McMullen

Millions of people around the world are living with lower limb paralysis as a result of a stroke, a spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. ", Explains Charlotte Macken, head of price design at Nesta. She explains that the pace of innovation is slow, mainly because of market fragmentation and the fact that new technologies in this area often do not benefit from funding from health systems and insurers. "It can make the field unattractive to those who could help change the world. We hope that such challenges can inspire innovation and are excited to see how the five finalists take advantage of this opportunity to develop their ideas. "

"Moby" is a wheelchair-sharing system accessible through an application.Simon Mckeown / Craig McMullen

Finalist, "Moby" of Italdesign is a practical idea that offers a wheelchair-sharing system accessed via a simple application – much like the many bicycle sharing systems in urban areas. Offering a series of electric rolling machines, it will greatly facilitate daily commuting for people using light manual wheelchairs.

From Japan, we find "Qolo" (quality of life with Locomotion), a mobile wheeled exoskeleton that helps to sit and stand and effectively remove the chair element from the wheelchair. The work of the University of Tsukuba Mobility, the device is controlled using the upper body, allowing hands-free operation, allowing users to move upright.

"Evowalk" is a personalized and timed muscle stimulation technologySimon Mckeown / Craig McMullen

"Evowalk" from Evolution Devices United States is a personalized and timed muscle stimulation technology. The non-intrusive sleeve surrounds the user's leg as the sensors follow the movement of the walk by stimulating the right muscles at the right time to improve mobility. & Nbsp; The device also claims to rehabilitate the muscles over time.

Also in the United States, "Quix" of IHMC & amp; MYOLYN is a highly mobile motorized exoskeleton offering fast, stable and agile vertical mobility. It uses modular actuation, autonomous vehicle perception technology, and control algorithms to balance autonomous humanoid robots to provide the mobility, security, and independence that today's exoskeletons can not provide.

"Quix" is an exoskeleton offering fast, stable and agile vertical mobility.Simon Mckeown / Craig McMullen

Finally & nbsp;Phoenix Instinct, from the UK, presents an ultra-light, self-balancing intelligent wheelchair that eliminates painful vibrations. "Phoenix Ai" uses smart sensors to self-configure automatically with the user's behavior at any time. It also introduces new technologies for wheelchairs such as smart and light intelligent assistance that makes navigating and climbing easier.

"Phoenix Ai" Helps Eliminate Painful Wheelchair VibrationSimon Mckeown / Craig McMullen

"These five finalists have demonstrated real innovation based on a people-centered design," said Ryan Klem, director of programs at the Toyota Mobility Foundation. "We believe that technology incorporated into these devices could change the lives of many people around the world, not only for people with lower limb paralysis, but also for those with more mobility needs." variety. "

To ensure the participation of organizations of all sizes, the program offered start-up funding to ten teams in the form of $ 50,000 Discovery Award grants during the participation period. In total, some 80 applications were received from 28 countries. Now, each of the five finalists will receive a $ 500,000 grant to further develop their concepts. They will then attend workshops, receive mentorship opportunities with experts and collaborate with equipment users to help them develop their ideas. The final winning design will receive $ 1 million from Toyota in 2020 at a ceremony in Tokyo.

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"Phoenix Ai" is an ultra-light, self-balancing intelligent wheelchairSimon Mckeown / Craig McMullen

A hybrid wheel exoskeleton and an urban wheelchair sharing system are among the top five finalists in the latest Toyota Global Contest. Announced today at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the $ 4 million, 4 million dollar "Mobility Unlimited Challenge" invites engineers, innovators and designers around the world to rethink the conventional wheelchair.

Toyota Mobility Foundation, in partnership with the Nesta Global Foundation for Innovation, is asking participants to be truly inventive in creating pioneering technology that will help improve mobility, independence and, ultimately, the lives of people with lower limb paralysis. The device should also be practical, comfortable and easy to use. it must integrate the end user into the development phase for the design to integrate perfectly into his life.

"Qolo" is a wheeled exoskeleton that helps users to sit or stand up with easeSimon Mckeown / Craig McMullen

Millions of people around the world are living with lower limb paralysis as a result of a stroke, a spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. "Current personal mobility devices are often unable to fully meet the needs of users due to limitations in functionality and usability," says Charlotte Macken, head of price design for Nesta. She explains that the pace of innovation is slow, mainly because of market fragmentation and the fact that new technologies in this area often do not benefit from funding from health systems and insurers. "It can make the field unattractive to those who could help change the world. We hope that such challenges can inspire innovation and are excited to see how the five finalists take advantage of this opportunity to develop their ideas. "

"Moby" is a wheelchair-sharing system accessible through an application.Simon Mckeown / Craig McMullen

Finalist, "Moby" from Italdesign is a practical idea offering a wheelchair-sharing system accessible via a simple app – much like the many bike sharing programs in urban settings. Offering a series of electric rolling devices, it will greatly simplify travel for people using light manual wheelchairs.

From Japan, we find "Qolo" (quality of life with Locomotion), a mobile wheeled exoskeleton that helps to sit and stand and effectively remove the chair element from the wheelchair. The work of the University of Tsukuba Mobility, the device is controlled using the upper body, allowing hands-free operation, allowing users to move upright.

"Evowalk" is a personalized and timed muscle stimulation technologySimon Mckeown / Craig McMullen

Evowalk by Evolution Devices in the United States is a personalized and timed muscle stimulation technology. The non-intrusive sleeve surrounds the user's leg as the sensors follow the movement of the walk by stimulating the right muscles at the right time to improve mobility. The device also claims to rehabilitate the muscles over time.

Also in the United States, "Quix" from IHMC & MYOLYN is a highly mobile powered exoskeleton offering fast, stable and agile vertical mobility. It uses modular actuation, autonomous vehicle perception technology, and control algorithms to balance autonomous humanoid robots to provide the mobility, security, and independence that today's exoskeletons can not provide.

"Quix" is an exoskeleton offering fast, stable and agile vertical mobility.Simon Mckeown / Craig McMullen

Finally, Phoenix Instinct, from the UK, presents an ultra-light, self-balancing intelligent wheelchair that eliminates painful vibrations. "Phoenix Ai" uses smart sensors to self-configure automatically with the user's behavior at any time. It also introduces new technologies for wheelchairs such as smart and light intelligent assistance that makes navigating and climbing easier.

"Phoenix Ai" Helps Eliminate Painful Wheelchair VibrationSimon Mckeown / Craig McMullen

"These five finalists have demonstrated real innovation based on a people-centered design," said Ryan Klem, director of programs at the Toyota Mobility Foundation. "We believe that technology incorporated into these devices could change the lives of many people around the world, not only for people with lower limb paralysis, but also for those with more mobility needs." variety. "

To ensure the participation of organizations of all sizes, the program offered start-up funding to ten teams in the form of $ 50,000 Discovery Award grants during the participation period. In total, some 80 applications were received from 28 countries. Now, each of the five finalists will receive a $ 500,000 grant to further develop their concepts. They will then attend workshops, receive mentorship opportunities with experts and collaborate with equipment users to help them develop their ideas. The final winning design will receive $ 1 million from Toyota in 2020 at a ceremony in Tokyo.

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