Avanchair, the startup that focuses on innovation and social inclusion

To satisfy the desire for independence and freedom of people with disabilities, Avanchair has created a super technological electric wheelchair.

“Like in the Marvel comics we invented a superpower.”This is how Andrea Depalo begins his story Avanchair, an innovative startup that has created and patented a model electric wheelchair which integrates into its volume a lateral and vertical translation system for the person sitting on it, allowing them to move to other surfaces autonomously.The superpower that Depalo talks about, in fact, is that of being able to give independence and freedom to 70 million people, that is, those who globally use a wheelchair (in Italy there are 600 thousand).

But its founder's dream is one step away from coming true:Avanchair, which has become part of the ecosystem of LifeGate Way, the group subsidiary with the aim of creating a network of sustainable startups with a focus on open innovation, has launched a campaign of fundraising on the Eppela platform, which aims to reach the sum of 130 thousand euros necessary for the creation of the prototype.

The history of Avanchair

The story of Avanchair begins nine years ago, when Depalo, suffering from quadriplegia, tried to imagine a chair that could satisfy his desire for autonomy and independence – “every person with a disability cannot move from the wheelchair that supports him and therefore always needs the intervention of others to go anywhere:in bed, in the bathroom, on the sofa or at the table” – to at least partially compensate for the disability that has limited his motor capacity since birth.

Depalo has clear ideas but it is only with the help of Emilio Rigolio, an entrepreneur in the mechanical and automation sector, that the project begins to take shape.They were also added to the team shortly afterwards Giovanni Nannini, the technician who begins to try to implement the solutions seen by Depalo and designed by Rigolio, and Roberta Rigolio, Emilio's daughter and researcher in the biomedical field.It is 2019 and the four founded Avanchair, an entrepreneurial initiative in high social impact which aims to significantly improve the quality of life of those people who need to use a wheelchair for a more or less long period of time.

Thus the idea of ​​a new product was developed which differs from other electric powered wheelchairs already on the market due to its ability to facilitate movements and be predisposed to digital monitoring of the user's health.An important step forward in favor ofsocial inclusion and innovation applied to health, as well as to sustainable development and toenvironment:In fact, Avanchair aims to exploit the charging infrastructure of electric cars from smart cities thanks to a specification app and the use of rechargeable lithium batteries which give the possibility of using the chair for a prolonged time.

The crowdfunding campaign

To make Depalo's dream come true, Avanchair launched the May 4th a crowdfunding campaign on the Eppela platform, which it aims to achieve 130 thousand euros of funds necessary to start the production of a latest generation wheelchair by 2022, which allows not only the vertical and horizontal movements of the person who uses it but also the autonomous transfer on other surfaces, the monitoring of vital signs thanks to the use of IoT sensors (Internet of things), and support in the operations of remote assistance thanks to integration with existing e-health platforms.

And so as not to neglect any aspect, it is also possible to customize the chair according to different needs, age and even taste.There are also important partners who believe in the project and participate in the fundraising Enel And BPM desk.