Paolo Badano, CEO of Genny Factory SA, never let life in a wheelchair slow him down. Intrigued by the design of the Segway in 2009, he wanted to make this design concept available to “sitting people” as he refers to users of mobility devices. The Genny was developed as a two-wheeled self-balancing personal transporter. Mr. Badano continually worked to update and improve the transporter.
With partners RadiciGroup and Acerbis, Genny Factory SA created a new two-wheeled electric self-balancing personal transporter, the Genny Zero. With a focus on lightweighting and sustainability, the team moved away from the traditional metal components of the Genny and designed and built the Genny Zero from composite materials and plastics.
RadiciGroup supported the design work and provided high-performance polymers for the project, ensuring the goal of lightweighting the transporter while maintaining exceptional safety standards and an engaging and exciting look. Acerbis played a key role in the metal replacement project including material formulation, mold design, and testing of components.
“Using our engineering polymers contributed to reducing Genny Zero’s weight from 110 kg at the start to only 60 kg now,” explained Claudio Ghilardi, Marketing sector focal team leader of RadiciGroup High Performance Polymers. “What’s more, the polymers helped make the vehicle dynamic, stable, safe, and resistant to the various types of stress it was subjected to. Great attention was also given to aesthetic appearance, particularly to the fairings and rear, for which we chose materials that guarantee excellent surface appearance, hence avoiding the need for final painting. Additionally, the materials were stabilized against UV rays and developed to resist exposure to weather conditions.”
“Currently, over 20 million wheelchairs are produced worldwide every year,” said Mr. Badano. “By introducing Genny Zero, we intend to revolutionize this market with a product that merges cutting-edge design and pioneering technology, thus redefining the standards of the sector. Inspired by the concept of a self-balancing mobility vehicle driven standing up, we created a product that surpasses conventional limits, making the technology accessible to people with reduced mobility. We recently presented Genny Zero at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, where it stirred up the enthusiasm and curiosity of a vast and diverse public. The product is a state-of-the-art solution for increasingly more sustainable urban mobility.”
