e-Novia Cuts Time to Market from 14 Months to 8 Months with the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

In 2015 e-Novia set out to transform research and development initiatives into tangible technology products. The consortium of mechanical engineering companies designs both collaborative and vehicular robotics. Collaborative robotics include wireless wearables, devices that enhance industrial operations, and robots that can connect seamlessly with smart cities. Vehicular robotics include integrated systems combining mechanics and electronics to improve vehicle performance and make them safer.

Because the e-Novia consortium collaborates and shares engineering information, the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform was a perfect choice. The cloud-based platform has helped e-Novia evolve by enabling the group of companies to seamlessly collaborate on multidisciplinary projects. “The 3DEXPERIENCE platform certainly gives us the opportunity to work in real time with our collaborators, both internal and external,” says Manager Mattia De Santis.

The consortium relied on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to fully develop the second generation of its WAHU smart shoe with patented w-lift™ technology that provides all-day comfort with a layer of air and integrated robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and a connected app. WAHU shoes adapt the cushioning level to the user’s profile and walking terrain to expand comfort and support, increase shock absorption, and improve agility in movement. “A pneumatic system changes the cushioning inside the shoe,” explains De Santis. “It was a very complicated product to develop.”

“The biomechanics aspect must be considered when developing products that interact with the human body,” continues De Santis. “We found the non-linear simulations in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform very useful because, in general, we were able to [digitally] simulate the pneumatic actuator that is made of an expanding rubber instead of making [physical] prototypes.” This significantly reduced development time and cost.

“The implementation of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform also made a difference in the development of the second generation of our Weart product, notes De Santis. “We significantly reduced the time to market from 14 to 8 months.” Weart specializes in hardware and software haptic solutions, adding a lifelike touch to digital and extended reality (XR) experiences. TouchDIVER, the flagship product, is a wearable haptic glove that reproduces tactile sensations with a high degree of realism in digital and virtual reality content.

With its advanced technology, TouchDIVER is the only device on the market providing full haptic feedback, enabling users to feel every texture, force, and thermal cue they encounter in the virtual world. Currently, Weart’s solutions are adopted mainly for industrial and medical training, marketing, virtual prototyping, digital arts, telerobotics, and research. De Santis concludes, “We are on the path to being able to structure ourselves and become an organized industry group of companies that collaborate and share information from an engineering perspective. We relied on Dassault Systèmes because they offer different solutions for different needs in product development.”