SPAIN
GERMANY
FRANCE
ITALY
DENMARK
GREECE
Participating partners
The Italian cMDF consists of 7 partners from Northern to Southern Italy: Trentino Sviluppo (a manufacturing facility), HIT (technology transfer), Energy@Work (system integrator), MUSE (Science Museum Fablab), Noitech Makerspace, Fablab BITZ, Fablab Bitonto.
Scope and purpose of the cMDF
The objective of the Italian cMDF is to enable open innovation collaborative engineering and prototyping activities, involving the microelectronics, mechatronics and manufacturing SMEs, the cMDF members, fab labs, and the community of experts/makers and local start-ups.
The Italian cMDF will experiment new open innovation schemes grouping together many stakeholders, focussing on two use case pilots related to mechatronics and IoT prototypes.
Expansion strategy
The Italian cMDF will involve the target partners and stakeholders in physical and digital workshops.
Expansion to start-ups/makers: preliminary interest of startups, makers, SMEs has already been gathered by asking stakeholders (e.g., fab labs and makerspaces) to promote the iPRODUCE project to their networks and issuing trough the partners news about the project. As Trentino Sviluppo is the largest Italian BIC, the tenants have been informed about the project, especially those of the mechatronic sector. In addition, a large number of students were involved in the final event of the ProtoChallenge and will be contacted to take a more active role during the experiment of the Italian cMDF use cases.
Expansion to manufacturing SMEs and final customers: SMEs will be reached through their representative associations (e.g., industrial association). SMEs and customers will be involved in open workshops, using methodologies related to living labs. Both SMEs and final customer have been advised about iPRODUCE during the final event of the ProtoChallenge.
Key services
The main services offered by the Italian cMDF are:
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Italian cMDF use cases
UC1: Robo shaker
Description of the use case
The use case focuses on the development of a simple and customised mechatronic aid to automate, for example, the moving back and forth of a fan, a rocking chair or any B2C product that may need an oscillating movement. The mechatronic device must transform a slow-rotational movement in input, created by a motor, in a linear movement in output. The co-creation process shall involve different stakeholders to reach a prototype with improved performances in respect to the current concept and to validate the general concept idea.
Objectives
Starting from a concept already developed by ProM, the manufacturing facility of Trentino Sviluppo, the co-creation activities performed by the Italian community shall develop a prototype with improved technical features, in order to pave the way to the market. .
Methodology
Through an open call, makers, SMEs, professionals, stakeholders and university students will be involved in co-creation workshops to create a working group that will design and prototype the robo-shaker with the support of the OpiS platform tools. SMEs are expected to provide the technical and functional requirements, according to their knowledge of the market. Professionals, makers (from makerspaces and fab labs) are expected to work on design and aesthetics of the prototype together with the cMDF members. End users are expected to provide feedback about the prototype in a living lab perspective.
Expected results
- Increased the ratio of ideas related to new innovative products brought to market, thanks to the OpIS platform networking tools
- Reduced the product's development cost
- Increased the company’s portfolio of innovative products
- Improved the original concept (in terms of efficiency and design targets)
- Raised co-creation practices between the industry, makers and users
- Consumer goods sectors addressed: consumer market and/or interior design goods
- Customer-driven product manufactured in Italian cMDF
- Overall labour effectiveness
- Compatibility with the digital iPRODUCE platform (OpIS)
- Reduced time-to market
UC2: Automated watering system
Description of the use case
The use case focuses on the development of a distributed IoT system to keep the right soil humidity in apartment plants without the fear of forgetting the task. It consists of a customised mechatronics device that automates watering operations. The device has to periodically monitor when a pot is too dry and then, if needed, delivers a certain amount of water to the pot. The watering machine needs to be connected to up to 16 pots and can keep a different level of humidity in each pot. The co-creation process will transform the current concept in a functional prototype.
Objectives
Starting from a concept already developed by ProM, the manufacturing facility of Trentino Sviluppo, the co-creation activities performed by the Italian community shall develop a prototype with improved technical features, in order to pave the way to the market.
Methodology
Through an open call, makers, SMEs, professionals, stakeholders and university students will be involved in co-creation workshops to create a working group that will design and prototype the automated watering system with the support of the OpiS platform tools. SMEs are expected to provide the technical and functional requirements, according to their knowledge of the market. Professionals, makers (from makerspaces and fab labs) are expected to work on design and aesthetics of the prototype together with the cMDF members. End users are expected to provide feedback about the prototype in a living lab perspective.
Expected results
- Increased the ratio of ideas related to new innovative products brought to market, thanks to the OpIS platform networking tools
- Reduced the product's development cost
- Increased the company’s portfolio of innovative products
- Improved the original concept (in terms of efficiency and design targets)
- Raised co-creation practices between the industry, makers and users
- Consumer goods sectors addressed: consumer market and/or interior design goods
- Customer-driven product manufactured in Italian cMDF
- Overall labour effectiveness
- Compatibility with the digital iPRODUCE platform (OpIS)
- Reduced time-to market