Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INE IAPS (Intelligent active protection system for motorcyclists: saving lives through optimum use of latest advances in sensor technologies, wireless communication, Smartphone platforms, real-time analysis.)
Reporting period: 2015-05-01 to 2015-10-31
Adapting the technology to life-saving non-leisure situations has required the company to proceed with a feasibility study and technical assessment. The project’s work plan consisted of three main work packages:
Technical and economic feasibility: to quantify the technical challenges to overcome for the integration of In&motion’s technology into motorcycling clothing;
Business case development: to investigate the functionalities to be made available to the users and assess the ergonomics and reliability constraints for the end product;
Partnership agreements: to elaborate the business plan with a focus on the distribution model to be adopted.
In&motion collected many hours of data to analyse and characterise the movements of riders to precisely determine crash thresholds and trigger points for airbag deployment. The company designed a ‘library’ for efficiently storing the data collected, and also developed a live data tool to allow them to visualise the data as it was acquired by the on-board devices during the live sessions.
In&motion adapted its ski airbag platform for a motorcycling application, including the selection of the most suitable gas generator and airbag shape that result in a system that inflates in less than 100 milliseconds whilst providing unparalleled protection without compromising on comfort and ergonomics for the user.
From a market perspective, In&motion initiated discussions with various stakeholders including riders, motorcycle constructors, and equipment suppliers.
In the near future, additional funding and recruitment will be crucial to support In&motion in its ambition to bring this disruptive innovation to market. Since the begining of the project, the team increased from 3 founders to 8 people, demonstrating In&motion's ability to recruit talents. The target is to continue this recruitment in 2016 in order to become a recognised European leader in the provision of intelligent protection solutions to save lives and limit long-term injuriesin order to support this ambitious developement program.
To support the dissemination of airbag systems in the motorcycling industry, its founders (Valentin HONORE, Pierre-Francois TISSOT, and Rémi THOMAS) are all members of the standards commission’s work group setup to elaborate verification procedures for airbags used in clothing. They are also recognised experts working on the industry-wide approval of the EN 1621-4 discussion.