Incorporating Smart Technology into Assistive Devices
Our Opportunity
Freedom of movement is a fundamental drive, motivated by necessity as well as desire for new opportunities and personal growth. Yet, society is not adapting quickly enough with accessible mobility products and services to ensure everyone can fully participate. Can we inspire innovators to accelerate ground-breaking mobility solutions through an international prize competition?
Our Approach
In 2017, the Toyota Mobility Foundation initiated a global open-source call to action -- the Mobility Unlimited Challenge, inviting innovators to combine their expertise and creativity with Toyota know-how and mentoring to discover the mobility solutions of the future.
TMF has partnered with Nesta Challenges to launch the inaugural Mobility Unlimited Challenge - a $4 million competition designed to transform the lives of people with lower-limb paralysis. Cross-functional teams with innovators in technology, design, and engineering, from every corner of the world will collaborate with end-users, prototype intelligent personal mobility devices, and offer a realistic path to market.
Submissions to the Mobility Unlimited Challenge are open until August 15, 2018. The Challenge winner will be unveiled in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan and will receive $1,000,000 to take their concept forward.
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- November 2017
- September 2020
Our Goals
- Raise awareness of mobility issues, specifically those experienced by people with lower-limb paralysis
- Directly engage and co-create with people with paralysis, ensuring the proposed concept makes a meaningful impact on their independence and participation in all aspects of life
- Attract and support smaller innovators who might not have the means to break into the assistive technology market
- Accelerate the application of “smarter” mobility technology and intelligent systems to better integrate devices into the user’s body and the environment
