The Mobility Unlimited Challenge was a $4 million international challenge led by the Toyota Mobility Foundation and Challenge Works which was designed to change the daily lives of people with lower-limb paralysis through innovative personal mobility devices incorporating intelligent systems. It aimed to harness creative thinking from across the world to accelerate innovation and encourage collaboration with end-users, in order to result in devices that will integrate seamlessly into users’ lives and environments, enabling greater independence and increased participation in daily life.
We looked for teams with engineering, software, design and data science expertise. But more importantly, we sought teams who put end-users at the heart of everything they do, engaging people with lower-limb paralysis from the outset to develop devices that best meet their needs.
Mobility is a fundamental part of being independent and free to participate in society. Yet, globally, society is not fully inclusive to millions of people with paralysis.
While there is no single experience, people with paralysis face barriers to their mobility, and therefore their independence, because of inaccessible environments and inadequate technology.
Mobility devices can be life changing, but the pace of innovation is frustratingly slow. Disincentives such as small and fragmented markets, regulatory burdens, and difficulties getting new technology paid for by healthcare systems and insurers are all impeding progress.
We believe that groundbreaking technology can drastically reduce mobility barriers.
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