CHF 40,000 for startups developing a novel electric wheelchair, next-gen industrial robotics, and ultra-photorealistic 3D digital models for urban spaces
10.02.2021
Exomotion, Isochronic, and Uzufly win Venture Kick's second stage of financial and entrepreneurial support. Their projects help people with mobility difficulties to move around in different environments, industrials save time and money with next-generation "Continuous-Motion" robots, and the public community and construction stakeholders better visualize and apprehend future construction projects.
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2.jpg) Exomotion's CEO and Founder Mohsen Falahi
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 Isochronic's CEO Melvin Haas, VP Software Albrecht Lindner, VP Hardware Pierre-Alain Buchs
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 Uzufly: Founder Romain Kirchhoff
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Exomotion: Developing ALLURE, the most liberating electric wheelchair
Moving freely and with ease has been the dream of humans since long before the invention of the wheel. Exomotion, as an EPFL spin-off, disrupts the way we move and think about mobility in a way which has never been possible before, by re-inventing the wheel to provide freedom in any mobility device.
Currently the focus of Exomotion is on personal mobility devices for people with mobility difficulties. ALLURE is the next generation of powered wheelchairs.
This product addresses three main issues with the existing devices in the market; mobility, negative social impact, and the service connectivity. This novel electric wheelchair provides the highest level of manoeuvrability for its users, enabling them to move in any direction they desire, in a wide range of environments. Benefitting from an elegant design, ALLURE appearance represents the cutting edge robotic technology used in this device. “Our product, ALLURE, gives back one degree of freedom to those who have already lost it, to increase their quality of life. This is our ultimate goal” said the CEO of Exomotion, Mohsen Falahi.
Exomotion team has been hosted by Professor Auke Ijspeert, the head of BioRob lab at EPFL, to develop their technology further and go to market soon. In 2021, only a limited number of units will be distributed among early supporters. The assistive mobility market has been projected for more than 7.9B USD in 2022. This is a growing market with a CAGR of more than 17%. The growth of this market comes from the increase in ageing population of elderly people and the need for automation in clinics and hospitals. Starting with ALLURE, Exomotion aims to shape the future of mobility.
The funds from VentureKick will be spent on technology development and proof of market. exomotion.ch
Isochronic: Next Generation Industrial Robots
Isochronic's CEO Melvin Haas, Director of Software & Systems Albrecht Lindner, Director Operations Etienne Marclay, all from the EPFL, together with Director Hardware & Mechanics Pierre-Alain Buchs develop the next generation of industrial robots for pick & place applications. The unique robot kinematic developed by Isochronic promises to deliver higher throughput and longer transport distances, while saving valuable production floorspace. Capable of transporting multiple parts simultaneously, Isochronic's technology is based on a novel robot kinematic which greatly enhances the performance of pick & place operations in automated production lines, most notably industrial applications such as packaging-, part inspection- and palletizing operations within market segments such as food processing, electronics/semiconductors, medical/pharma as well as the precision- & watchmaking industries.
They will use the Venture Kick funds to develop their next generation prototype hardware together with a pilot customer, including the development of advanced motion control systems and path planning algorithms. isochronic.com
Uzufly: Ultra-photorealistic 3D digital models to represent urban spaces and future construction projects
For urban projects, public consultation is a key stage during which future constructions are presented to local communities to ensure projects are tailored to the population’s requirements and wishes. However, current 2D plans or computer-generated imagery methods only provide a very limited representation of future construction projects to local communities.
To maximize project approval rates and ensure the population has access to valuable information, Uzufly delivers ultra-photorealistic 3D digital models generated from aerial methods (such as drones) and integrates the designs of future constructions within their designated area. Those 3D models provide a realistic understanding of the volume and architecture of planned projects, with a project scope ranging from a single building to an entire city or canton. Furthermore, those highly detailed 3D models can be converted to technical drawings and topographic surveys to support architects and construction engineers in their work. Uzufly’s team is led by founder Romain Kirchhoff, who holds a BSc in Civil Engineering from EPFL and HKUST, a MSc in Management, Technology and Entrepreneurship from EPFL, and is a swiss private pilot (PPL holder).
The funds provided by Venturekick will help Uzufly upgrade its hardware and build a web platform to further streamline and automate Uzufly customers’ journey. uzufly.com