Press Release

Stenkullen 9 June 2017

Autoadapt’s BraunAbility Q-Series Wheelchair Lift Honored with Golden A' Design Award

Tonight representatives from BraunAbility will be accepting the prestigious Golden A' Design Award at the gala in Como Italy.

A' Design Award and Competition recently announced that the BraunAbility Q-Series wheelchair lift has won the prestigious Golden A' Design Award in the Differently Abled and Seniors' Assistance Design Category.

Autoadapt’s part-owner, BraunAbility, global leader in wheelchair-accessible vehicles and wheelchair lifts, introduced the innovative wheelchair lift to the international mobility market earlier this year. The Q-Series engineering team designed the lift specifically for attractive aesthetics, noise improvement, and safety. The new lift combines an eye-catching curved design language with innovative use of geometry, resulting not only in a 10 percent weight reduction over its predecessor, but also a 300 percent improvement in rigidity. A unique “Auto-Tite” system prevents noise while the vehicle is in motion, making the lift between 40 and 400 percent quieter than benchmark comparisons in testing.  Integrated side-plate LED lights, an industry first, illuminate the platform for wheelchair users and alert nearby pedestrians and drivers that a wheelchair lift is in use.

Working with Professor Steve Visser of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA, a multinational project team followed human-centered design processes to create a wheelchair lift that is easy-to-use and looks right at home alongside the premium interiors of modern vehicles.  The project began with a kickoff brainstorm where industry experts, wheelchair users, and designers interacted with a variety of lifts to identify important unmet customer needs and prioritize critical design characteristics.  Ultimately, representatives from over 30 countries provided feedback on a series of concepts and prototypes before the Q-Series wheelchair lift was ready for the market.

 

“The entire team is pleased to receive recognition from the A’ Design Award committee,” said Phill Bell, director of product portfolio – lifts at BraunAbility.  “From over 35,000 submissions, the Q-Series design placed in the top 3%, which is a powerful recognition of the outstanding work from a very talented design team.”

Members of the BraunAbility Q-Series project team include Steve Visser (Product Designer), Yingxiao Max Cao (Product Designer), Rob Bettcher (Engineer), Justin Kline (Mechanical Engineer), Haiyan Henry Zhang (Mechanical Engineer), Cong Liao (Mechanical Engineer), Achilleas Bardakas (Mechanical Engineer), Mark French (Sound Engineer), Pu Wang (Sound Engineer), Mike Alexander (Marketing), and Phill Bell (Product Manager).

Autoadapt is doing the initial release of the lift to European-regulation markets whilst additional international markets will see an introduction later this year.

Autoadapt AB

Founded in 1996, Swedish Autoadapt is a leading manufacturer of vehicle adaptation solutions for people with limited mobility. Autoadapt offers many award-winning and safety-tested solutions, such as the Turny Evo and the Carony-system. Autoadapt is part-owned by BraunAbility with sales/service responsibility for their products in Europe and the Middle East.

 

BraunAbility

BraunAbility is the world's leading manufacturer of wheelchair accessible vehicles and wheelchair lifts. Founded nearly 50 years ago by Ralph Braun the company has grown into the most well-known and trusted name in the mobility industry, bringing independence to millions of individuals across the world. BraunAbility is a wholly owned subsidiary to Patricia Industries, a division of Investor Group. 

Visit www.braunability.com for more information.

 

The Golden A' Design Award

The Golden A' Design Award is a prestigious award given to top 3% percentile designs that has exhibited an exemplary level of originality in design. Entries to the A' Design Awards are peer reviewed and anonymously judged by an expert jury panel of leading academics, important press members and experienced professionals. Nominated care designs are voted on pre-determined evaluation criteria to highlight only the very best care design works. In addition to reaching top international media, A' Design Award winners are listed at World Design Rankings, are highlighted at Design Classification platform and are showcased at DesignMag.org which lists the best designs from all countries in all disciplines.

 

A' Design Awards

A' Design Award aims to highlight the excellent qualifications of best care designs and greatest care design concepts worldwide. The A' Design Accolades are organized and awarded annually and internationally in multiple categories to reach a wide, design-oriented audience. The ultimate aim of the A' Design Competition is to create a global awareness for good design. Learn more

 

Contacts

   

Peter Wahlsten

Press contact

Executive Vice President
peter.wahlsten@autoadapt.com
+46 302-254 54

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