A New Way of Looking at Accessible Mobility

A New Way of Looking at Accessible Mobility

As we move towards more climate conscious infrastructure, there’s been a big drive towards micro-mobility. Many cities are outright banning vehicles that are not compliant to environmental standards, and are looking towards pedestrianised spaces, bike lanes and public transport to solve transportation issues. This has a major impact on those with accessibility issues. Having worked on a variety of vehicles, from four-person commercial vehicles, to pick-up trucks, to heavy goods vehicles, FutureMotiv were asked to support this project by Centaur Robotics to think smaller, and create a modern spin on accessible mobility with the self-balancing 2-wheeled chair, The Centaur, a revolutionary advancement to the traditional wheelchair.?

The first self-propelled wheelchair was built in 1655 and was made up of three wheels, two in the back and the front one propelled by a hand crank, and for 300 over years, not much really changed. The ‘standard’ design used across the world now, came from a folding wheelchair used in hospitals in the 1950s, and in 70 years what has changed? Replacing the cogs and cranks of the 17th Century with motors assisted those with more challenging mobility issues, but accessibility still played a difficult role for those living in and with a wheelchair.??

No alt text provided for this image

That’s where CENTAUR ROBOTICS LIMITED Robotics come in. They came to us with a sleek, modern design for a wheelchair suitable for the 21st century. The goal was to create a self-balancing, autonomous wheelchair that is functional in spaces traditionally seen as challenging for wheelchairs to navigate. But it wasn’t just about use; many people refuse mobility assistance options like wheelchairs or mobility scooters because of how they’re perceived by society, so it was important to make sure that the design remained subtle and stylish; and that lesser addressed issues like height, be it in reaching shelves or simply having a conversation, could be solved as well.?

FutureMotiv has made a big impact when it comes to building vehicles with a much smaller carbon footprint and using our expertise in electric vehicle systems to impact not just people’s lifestyles, but their mental health, was a great opportunity to see how that knowledge translated to the smaller scale.??

FutureMotiv’s focus on the project was to, in the words of our Systems and Controls engineer “make this thing alive, put a soul in it.” An early key factor we knew we had to address was the desire to keep the two wheeled design. In the last decade we have seen huge strides in parallel wheeled transportation, but products like Segway or the hoverboard rely on the user to balance the vehicle. With a focus on accessibility, our goal became creating a vehicle that could balance itself.

No alt text provided for this image

Beyond factoring in travelling on inclines and declines, and steering, designing something accessible came with its own challenges. We needed a system that adapts to its occupant and developing the control algorithm that solved this issue was the make-or-break moment for this project.?

In addition, the application of automotive functional safety and high integrity redundant architectures was a significant contribution to this project.?

Balancing The Centaur’s practical uses with its stylish design was a challenge, but we like to be challenged. Our experience working in a variety of sectors within the automotive industry left us with a lot of skills and knowledge that came in useful when condensing those things down to the micro-mobility market and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for those with accessible needs as more people look to where improvements can be made.?

Getting the opportunity to make a positive impact is why we love what we do at FutureMotiv . Clients who come with big ideas and an open mind can shift an entire industry into the future, and we want to be the ones to help them get there, whether for accessible mobility options, or for the transport industry in general.?

If you have a project capable of making a splash in the low-carbon vehicle market, and need the support of a reputable engineering firm with a proven track record of efficiency and results, FutureMotiv would love to hear from you!

You can send me a message through LinkedIn, call the office on +44(0)1926 266 001, or send an email [email protected]

Ramadhan Abdul

Business Development Manager @ Worldpronet | Master's in Business Management

1 年

Mark, thanks for sharing! Lets connect and share thoughts.

回复
Jon Collins

Independent Consultant | Wire Harness software specialist | advising OEM's and wire harness manufacturers on achieving their engineering and business development goals

2 年

Is this a new repurposing of a segway Mark? If so, brilliant out of the box thinking.

回复
James Midgley

Aston Martin - EDS Power Management Engineer

2 年

Great versatility from the team there Mark and such a good cause for those needing greater accessibility.

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Mark Basten的更多文章

  • How to Avoid EV Startup ‘Treacle’

    How to Avoid EV Startup ‘Treacle’

    Historically, the automotive industry has been dominated by industry giants, making the market difficult for startups…

  • Our 2024 Guide to Functional Safety

    Our 2024 Guide to Functional Safety

    In the summer of 1966, racing engineer and driver Ken Miles was test-driving the newest model of the Ford GT40. An…

    2 条评论
  • Why We Need Women in STEM Industries

    Why We Need Women in STEM Industries

    Even in 2024, it’s still widely understood that STEM industries are typically male-dominated. While the representation…

    1 条评论
  • The evolution of vehicle access

    The evolution of vehicle access

    Vehicle access has undergone a remarkable revolution over the last few decades. Thanks to design engineers harnessing…

  • Hydrogen fuel usage in passenger vehicles

    Hydrogen fuel usage in passenger vehicles

    Passenger vehicles account for 12% of the total emissions of CO2 in the EU and reducing those emissions is vital for…

    2 条评论
  • Hydrogen Fuels usage in industrial vehicles

    Hydrogen Fuels usage in industrial vehicles

    Industrial vehicles play a significant part not just in adding to global carbon emissions, but also air pollution…

    1 条评论
  • Is the future of hydrogen in commercial vehicles?

    Is the future of hydrogen in commercial vehicles?

    Hydrogen is seeing investment across the globe, with many governments seeing it as the ‘green replacement’ for natural…

  • Vehicle 5G: Revolutionising road safety?

    Vehicle 5G: Revolutionising road safety?

    One of the most promising developments in future mobility is Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication via 5G networks. By…

    2 条评论
  • How FutureMotiv helped remove a Truckload of CO2 emissions

    How FutureMotiv helped remove a Truckload of CO2 emissions

    According to Statista, Heavy Commercial Vehicles in the UK emitted 18.6 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent.

    1 条评论
  • Building a Pickup from scratch: A Case Study

    Building a Pickup from scratch: A Case Study

    As experts in low-carbon vehicle technologies, FutureMotiv – along with our parent group, RLE International – were…

    7 条评论

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了