In the beginning it was a Smart System: «A sensor system developed to absorb shocks, which can be integrated into any type of vehicle – says Giovanni Pulice, managing director and member of the board of directors of e-Shock». Today, thanks to the engineering skills of e-Shock talents, the Smart System offer has significantly expanded.
e-Shock is one of the flagships of e-Novia and is the first company born within the “Fabbrica di Imprese” specialized in Industrial Deep Tech. We are therefore talking about advanced technologies for vehicular and collaborative robotics.
The devices to be integrated into cars and motorcycles can manage the attitude, the driving direction, the brakes, thanks to the combined use of the right mix of sensors and the fundamental contribution of Artificial Intelligence algorithms. Already committed to supporting the driver in traditional vehicles, Smart Systems are addressing the near future of fully autonomous driving.
“Today we have more than one hundred thousand units installed on different types of vehicles – continues Pulice -, among our customers there are some of the most prestigious brands of vehicles and components in the world, including Streparava, a Brescia-based company world leader in the construction of chassis. for the automotive sector, a long-time partner of e-Shock. A diversified portfolio of customers and partners, which well describes the variety of possible applications for our control systems and assisted and autonomous driving ».
A well-established collaborative model
The production cycle is well run, we work with the support of external partners, who create the prototype based on the project for the specific customer and which, according to the collaborative model of e-Novia, makes use of close collaborations with polytechnics and universities Italian.
In particular, the Politecnico di Milano is the hotbed of the talents who make up the design team. A team that, like turnover, is growing: Pulice, in fact, plans to double the number of talents hired in e-Shock by the end of 2022.
After the victory at the last CES in Las Vegas for the PoliMOVE team of the Politecnico di Milano – supported by e-Novia – which won the Indy Autonomous Challenge, the recognition for the Group’s ecosystem is now international. And so is the vision of e-Shock: “We are in the midst of exploring the Indian and Chinese markets – says Pulice – where orders are decidedly different from the Italian one and today they are the exclusive prerogative of the automotive giants. “.
Initially, e-Shock focused on the (niche) professional vehicle market. Now the speed of implementation, competitive prices and a high degree of customization, which have allowed e-Shock to build a strong international image, suggest a decidedly growing future.
«We are able to supply a tested and functioning system a few months after its conception – says the manager – and to guarantee high flexibility in the customization of the control units. Peculiarities not always possible for those who work on a large scale ».
From Smart Systems to the complete Rob.y platform
In a short time, e-Shock has added Dynamic Cortex to the Smart Systems, a platform that combines mechatronics and advanced AI-based application solutions to “robotize” vehicles already in circulation, now ready for upgrade.
«We focused on professional vehicles – continues Pulice -, which circulate in confined or private environments such as, for example, airport and campus shuttles, road sweepers or proximity delivery vehicles. Robotising a sweeper, a salt spreader, a snowcat, allows a single resource to remotely control the vehicle with a simple joystick, guaranteeing safety, efficiency and cost savings for the operators ».
Orienting itself to this specific sector which, according to the findings of Pulice, is worth a total of 56 billion euros in the world, has increased the reputation of e-Shock. At the same time, the professional field represents a safe training ground for the evolution of autonomous technology and mitigates the limits still imposed by the legislation.
The Italian company does not intend to stop at Smart Systems and Dynamic Cortex. e-Shock has already started the road testing of Rob.y, a complete mobile platform designed for professional services and advanced mobility solutions. It is an autonomous driving frame to be customized according to use. It could be ideal, for example, for last mile delivery.