We are a team of mechanical engineering students at HEPIA
From left to right: Nicolas Richard, Sébastien Pasquier, Léonard Delaloye, Diogo Da Costa and Rémi Guérinet
Founded in Geneva in 2025
We are a team of mechanical engineering students at HEPIA
From left to right: Nicolas Richard, Sébastien Pasquier, Léonard Delaloye, Diogo Da Costa and Rémi Guérinet
The goal now is to move closer to a marketable product: more compact, better looking and easier to use every day.
Technology readiness
Now
Goal
The project officially starts at Pulse during the Bootcamp on 12 March. Director Robin Harsch follows the project's first steps for an RTS report on innovation. Sébastien Pasquier is invited on One FM during Vocational Training Week to talk about moving from an apprenticeship to a Bachelor's degree.
A first major clarification phase: many interviews and visits to Geneva institutions, in collaboration with the OCIRT, to pin down the problem precisely. Participation in the national congress and in a hackathon of HEPIA's Computer Science programme.
As part of a project course at HEPIA, the technical team is formed and will work on Fellow until 2027, aiming for a fully finished product. A collaboration begins with HEG students, leading to three websites and various communication strategies. More interviews and a talk at SwissSkills.
Fellow is selected for Phase 2 of Pulse on the strength of its application and pitch, and wins first prize in its cohort: CHF 1,000 and a pitch in front of 150 people. Interview with La Source, a visit to IMAD's LabAppart, and the search for solutions continues.
Launch of the first website and more fieldwork interviews. A trip to Dubai for the WHX trade fair: an immersion in global innovation that confirms the value of innovating in medical mobility at international level.
Start of the collaboration with the HEG class, business plan drafted and move into an office at Pulse. Participation in the Exhibition of Inventions with a major step forward on the solution. Purchase of a hospital bed to build and test prototypes. Certification process begins.
Fieldwork interviews continue. Participation in the regional EntrepreneurSkills championship as a coach. A decisive step forward on the solution: 3D modelling and a working numerical simulation. Featured on RTS Basik. Prior-art search at the IPI in Bern. Selected for the IDDEA Prize final. In June, tests of the first version built with prototyping techniques, followed by an official presentation of the concept.
After months of development, we presented our prototype at the Pulse Graduation Night: it lets us turn patients with a fingertip. That same evening we won awards, see the news ! In July, the patent was also filed with the IPI.
Now that our prototype works, we are turning it into a finished product. The goal is to deliver the manufacturing plans by the end of the year. The IDDEA Prize final will also be a chance to win prizes, credibility and visibility.
Machining and assembly of parts, followed by continued certification work.
Planning and optimising manufacturing, and communicating about the product.
After the first version, we keep improving the product and developing new variants for different uses.
UN The Fellow project directly contributes to 4 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.
Fewer musculoskeletal disorders among caregivers and better quality of care.
Protecting care workers and reducing accidents and absences linked to musculoskeletal disorders.
Helping people continue to receive care at home through suitable equipment, supporting independence and ageing in place.
Carefully chosen materials and responsible design to show that sustainable innovation is possible in the medical field.