Based on the MaxiTrike (tricycle for transporting merchandise) manufactured by Trikescity, twelve engineering students from the GMD Department worked for a semester to adapt the bike to transport people over short distances. Their work mainly focused on improving comfort and safety for the users (seniors and persons with reduced mobility) as well as the drivers by providing innovative systems such as: a bench-seat with vibration buffers, protection against rain and sun, a fold-away step, lowering of the floor as far as possible and the addition of handles to make getting on and off the vehicle easier, electrical assistance for pedalling, an anti-theft system attached to the handle-bars, etc.

Beyond the technical and scientific expertise (CAD, sizing, modelling, structure calculations, etc.), this project provided the engineering students with the opportunity to put into practice the skills required for their future professions as engineers.

The Pedicab project enabled engineering students to implement an innovative system to improve the mobility of seniors, combining professional and humanistic values. Innovation is a priority for the GMD Department, which places this aspect at the heart of current developments in its training policy alongside research and development. The training programme interacts closely and constantly with the skills of associated research laboratories (LaMCoS, LMFA, Matéis), which are widely acknowledged by industry in the fields of mechanics, structures, solids, contacts, fluids, etc., as well as with more remote sectors such as health, arts, and sport - continuously calling upon open-mindedness and the spirit of innovation.