FreeWheel · Project

Modular Smart Wheelchair Platform With 3D-Printed Custom Parts and Sharing Service

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Imagine if wheelchairs worked like smartphones — a standard base you can snap custom parts onto, and those custom parts are 3D-printed to fit each person perfectly. FreeWheel built exactly that: a modular electric mobility unit where the engine, controls, and body interfaces are swappable modules. You can either buy one tailored to you, or rent one from a sharing rack at a train station or shopping mall, like a city bike. The whole point is making personalized mobility affordable instead of the current situation where custom wheelchairs cost a fortune and take months to deliver.

By the numbers

70%

Less time-to-market than conventional wheelchair customization

70%

Reduction in environmental impact (primary resources consumed)

Consortium partners across 5 countries

SMEs in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Custom wheelchairs and mobility devices are expensive, take months to manufacture, and can't be easily shared or repurposed. Every user needs a different configuration, which means slow production, high tooling costs, and devices that become useless when the user's needs change. There is no viable sharing model for accessible mobility — unlike bikes or scooters, you can't just put generic wheelchairs at a station and expect them to work for diverse users.

The solution

What was built

The project built a full-scale physical demonstrator of a modular smart wheelchair platform with 3D-printed personalized interfaces, plus a complete digital ecosystem including a smartphone app, messenger chatbots, and a digital rack interface for a sharing service model. A total of 14 deliverables were completed across the project.

Audience

Who needs this

Wheelchair and assistive device manufacturers looking to offer mass-customizationShared mobility operators wanting to add accessible transport to their fleet3D printing service bureaus seeking high-value medical/mobility applicationsMunicipal transport authorities required to improve urban accessibilityHealthcare providers and rehabilitation centers managing device fleets

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Assistive technology and wheelchair manufacturing

SME

Target: Wheelchair or mobility device manufacturer

If you are a wheelchair manufacturer struggling with long lead times and high costs for customized units — this project developed a modular platform where standard components are reconfigurable across products and personalized interfaces are 3D-printed on demand. The project demonstrated 70% less time-to-market compared to conventional approaches. This means you could offer mass-customization without retooling your production line for every order.

Urban mobility and shared transport services

mid-size

Target: Shared mobility or micro-mobility operator

If you are a shared mobility operator looking to expand into accessible transport — this project built a complete sharing service model with smartphone app, messenger bots, and digital rack interfaces. The modular design means one fleet of base units can serve diverse user needs by swapping interface modules. With 70% reduction in primary resource consumption through module reuse, operating costs stay manageable at scale.

Additive manufacturing services

any

Target: 3D printing service bureau or contract manufacturer

If you are an additive manufacturing service provider seeking high-value vertical markets — this project proved that 3D-printed body-to-vehicle and engine-to-vehicle interfaces work in a real mobility product at full scale. The demonstrated demand for ultra-customized medical mobility parts represents a recurring revenue stream. The consortium validated this across 12 partners in 5 countries with a full-scale physical demonstrator.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this modular platform?

The project does not publish specific licensing fees or unit costs. However, the entire design philosophy targets significant cost reduction through reusable standard modules and 3D-printed custom parts, eliminating the need for dedicated tooling per user. Contact the coordinator (IRIS SRL, Italy) through SciTransfer for commercial terms.

Can this scale to industrial production volumes?

The project delivered a full-scale physical demonstrator, not just a lab prototype. The modular architecture is specifically designed for scale — standard modules are manufactured conventionally while only the personalized interfaces require additive manufacturing. The consortium included 6 industrial partners and 7 SMEs across 5 countries, indicating real manufacturing readiness.

What is the IP situation — can I use this technology?

As an EU Innovation Action with 12 consortium partners, IP ownership is shared according to the grant agreement. IRIS SRL (Italy) coordinated the project and would be the primary contact for licensing discussions. Based on available project data, specific patent filings are not detailed in the public record.

How does the sharing service model actually work?

The project built a complete digital ecosystem: a smartphone app, messenger chatbots, and a digital rack interface where users pick up and return units. The autonomous smart active module handles navigation assistance. This is mobility-as-a-service for accessibility — users don't need to own the device.

What accessibility regulations does this address?

The project targets social inclusion of disabled and elderly citizens in urban public spaces. Based on available project data, specific regulatory certifications (e.g., medical device classification) are not detailed, but the full-scale demo was designed to demonstrate affordability and safety in accessing public spaces.

How proven is the additive manufacturing component?

The consortium includes composites and fiber expertise (reflected in the EuroSciVoc tags) and delivered physical prototypes of the 3D-printed custom interfaces. The touch-point prototypes — smartphone app, messenger bots, and rack digital interface — were also demonstrated. This is beyond concept stage but would need CE marking for commercial deployment.

Consortium

Who built it

The FreeWheel consortium is well-balanced for commercialization: 12 partners across 5 countries (Italy, Spain, Greece, UK, Switzerland) with a 50% industry ratio and 7 SMEs. The coordinator IRIS SRL is an Italian SME, which often means faster decision-making and stronger commercial motivation than university-led projects. With 6 industrial partners alongside 2 universities and 2 research organizations, the project had both manufacturing capability and R&D depth. The mix suggests the technology was developed with real production constraints in mind, not just as a research exercise.

IRIS SRLCoordinator · IT
MORPHICA SOCIETA A RESPONSABILITA LIMITATAparticipant · IT
MCH-TRONICS SAGLparticipant · CH
KEEN BULL SAGLparticipant · CH
SCUOLA UNIVERSITARIA PROFESSIONALE DELLA SVIZZERA ITALIANAparticipant · CH
PANEPISTIMIO PATRONparticipant · EL
KUMO TECHNOLOGIES SLparticipant · ES

How to reach the team

IRIS SRL is an Italian SME that coordinated FreeWheel. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to discuss licensing or partnership.

Order a report on this consortium See IRIS SRL profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore adopting the FreeWheel modular platform or its additive manufacturing approach for personalized mobility devices? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the project team and provide a detailed technology brief.

Order a report on this topic More in Transport & Mobility