What would it cost to license or adopt this technology?+
The project was funded with EUR 2,359,963 in EU contribution as a Research and Innovation Action. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated directly with the coordinator (Högskolan i Borås, Sweden) and the consortium. Since this is publicly funded research, results may be available under favorable academic licensing conditions.
Can this scale to industrial production?+
The project produced 3 iterations of working demonstrators and separate prototypes for user studies, showing progressive maturity. However, with only 1 industrial partner (12% industry ratio) in the consortium of 8, scaling to mass production would require additional manufacturing partnerships and supply chain development.
What is the IP situation — who owns the results?+
IP is shared among the 8 consortium partners across 7 countries, with the coordinator Högskolan i Borås (Sweden) likely holding primary rights. As an EU-funded RIA project, the consortium members jointly own results they generated. Specific licensing arrangements would need to be clarified with the coordinator.
How mature is the technology — is it ready to deploy?+
The project delivered 3 full demonstrator iterations, a final prototype sensor system (HIPI) integrated with the haptic interface, and prototypes tested in psychophysical user studies. This places it at a late prototype stage — functional and user-tested, but not yet a commercial product ready for deployment.
Who was involved in building this?+
The consortium included 8 partners from 7 countries (DE, EL, FR, NL, PL, SE, UK), with 5 universities, 1 research organization, 1 industry partner, and 1 other organization. The academic-heavy team (only 1 SME) means strong research foundations but a commercialization partner would be needed.
What specific technical components were delivered?+
Key deliverables include an initial sensor system with distance sensors and Raspberry Pi, a camera-based object recognition module, the final HIPI sensor-haptic interface prototype, electromechanical driving and control units for the textile, and prototypes tested with one and two touch dimensions. The project produced 49 deliverables total, including 11 demonstrator-type outputs.
Does this comply with accessibility regulations?+
The project was informed by disability studies and developed through a user-centered iterative design process with frequent evaluations. It addresses inclusion in social life and employment, aligning with EU accessibility directives. Based on available project data, specific regulatory certification was not part of the project scope.
