At the InvaExpo 2018, taking place in Moscow on 12.-14. September, SkyWay will be presenting a four-wheeler accessory in its product range – the Unimobile. Unimobile is an electric-powered disability vehicle designed for people in wheelchairs.
For the first time in the history, in the design of this vehicle, there has been incarnated the engineering solution, allowing a person with a disability, while staying in a wheelchair, to drive a car.
“Everything we do is filled with humanism: this is the only correct attitude to the world through love to all Mankind and to each Person”, commented in his speech on this new development SkyWay General Designer Anatoliy Yunitskiy. “Among the investors, there are many people with disabilities, including wheelchair users, and I promised to help them expand their communication, providing new possibilities. This development is not only for our investors. About 130 million people with disabilities worldwide are wheelchair users, for whom the possibility of getting a job depends on their mobility. With this electric vehicle, they can be, for example, taxi drivers or pizza guys. A driver in his/her wheelchair will get into the car and will be able to drive it, sitting on his/her wheelchair. The chair itself is designed as a driver’s seat that has electric drive, which can go for 40 miles at speeds up to 20 km/h, that is a wheelchair itself is a small electric car. There are no analogues in the world to such a car. We will show this development at the exhibition in Moscow in September this year to attract maximum attention not only to development but also to the problem of mobility for people with disabilities”.
Today in the world, there are solutions for the transportation of people with disabilities, but they are mostly improvements and re-equipment of production cars:
- micro-buses, equipped with lifting mechanisms with fixation of wheelchairs with the help of tensioning straps inside;
- robotic systems, which fold a wheelchair in the boot of a normal car, but, by the way, the user himself/herself has to get from his/her wheelchair into the car and back;
- vehicles L7 (quadricycle) class, the mass of which without being loaded is up to 400 kg, engine power is up to 15 kW and travel speed is up to 45 km/h;
Each of these options has its own set of negative features, and cannot fully serve as a complete solution.
They do not combine all the necessary needs, which have found their solution in the unimobile:
- while developing the technical concept of the unimobile, the main objective was to provide people with disabilities with their personal mobility with the highest possible level of independence;
- the unimobile, which is a full-fledged electric vehicle, will enable people with disabilities to fully realize their potential – to reach work, school, leisure place, to pursue a more independent lifestyle;
- the unimobile is designed, having the ergonomic characteristics of people with disabilities and wheelchair users in mind. As a result, the driver or the passenger is not required to leave the wheelchair, which is also a car seat;
- the specially designed lock securely fixes the wheelchair to the vehicle and provides the user’s safety while driving. The analogous lock fixes the passenger seat, allowing a wheelchair and the seat easily swap places. The vehicle will not move if the lock is not fixed: the light indicator will alert about that;
- the hand controls are comfortable and functional, and duplicate the ordinary pedals and switches;
- the access to the vehicle is arranged in such a way that the user, without leaving the wheelchair and without assistance, can get into the cabin through a special ramp lift, located in the rear of the vehicle’s body, which can be managed with the remote. Light and sound indicators accompany and protect the process of embarkation/disembarkation of a driver and passenger;
- suicide doors and swinging mechanism allow to comfortably get into the car.
- the overall length of the vehicle allows the perpendicular parking to the curb and provides embarkation/disembarkation directly onto the sidewalk. This feature also allows you to park in standard parking spaces, and not only on selected parking spaces;
- a parking radar and rear view cameras simplify parking and increase safety;
- using rear view cameras with LCD displays instead of conventional mirrors provides the necessary overview and image quality;
- the car is equipped with the electric drive with a system recovery, which, in addition to efficiency, has a low toxic impact on the environment. The lack of transmission makes it easier to manage the car;
- while transporting disabled people in the wheelchair by an accompanying driver, the convenient boarding/unloading ramp lift is also provided.
The unimobile meets all the safety requirements for vehicles of class M1 and can be operated on public roads.
Specifications:
- The maximum speed — 100 km/h.
- Cruising range – 120 km;
- Curb weight – 990 kg;
- Battery charging – from consumer network;
- Full charge time -10 hours
As an option, the unimobile can be equipped with the designed own wheelchair with the electric drive and 40-km cruising range.
The name of the unimobile will be presented at the specialized exhibition “Infoexpo. The Society for everybody” for the first time. The exhibition will be held at VDNKH in Moscow from 12 to 14 September 2018.
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