SummaryEdit
Centaur Robotics aims to bring to market the first of a new generation of its personal electric vehicles (PEVs). A product to empower and change the social perceptions of individuals challenged with mobility issues, they are raising investment with the aim of moving to full scale production by the end of 2020.
- Over £420,000 raised to date from HNWIs and Angel Investors
- Led by a team of executive, formerly of Ford, Oracle & GlobalLogic
- Trade marks, design rights and significant IP patent pending
- Targeting the global wheelchair market, set to be worth $7.5bn by 2024
IdeaEdit
Centaur Robotics’ first product, The Centaur, is a personal electric vehicle designed to transform the lives of those with mobility issues.
Basic wheelchair designs have not changed for 100+ years. They are functional but are unfriendly, reinforce social stigma and hamper social interaction. A self-balancing vehicle, the Centaur has a turning circle one third the size of most competitors and has been designed to enable unprecedented manoeuvrability in confined spaces.
The device also has drop arms, designed to make the experience of sitting at tables much more comfortable. And its high rise function enables higher reach for shelves/worktops. We believe that the Centaur is a stunning piece of human-centred design that will usher in a new era in personal mobility.
Globally the Electric Wheelchair market is set to grow by 7% p.a. and will be worth $7.5 billion by 2024. The demand for electric wheelchairs is expected to rise steadily in the advanced economies, this is mostly because of the overall increase in the elderly population and their increasing affluence.
The team has identified a number of significant commercial opportunities, initially in care homes and hospitals where the need for increased mobility and independence is heightened and is raising investment to complete the final pre-production phase and plan to get to full scale production by the end of 2020.
TeamEdit
Christopher Hay - Managing Director
Senior Executive with many years experience of working in the High Technology market, with companies like Oracle, EMC and Honeywell. Chris' expertise lies in working with Sales and Marketing and bringing new products to market.
David Rajan – Founder & Chairman (Part-time)
Formerly at Oracle, previously the CTO for the respected design firm, Method and CDO for Silicon Valley product development firm GlobalLogic. A technologist with years of experience in Product & Software Dev., Sales and Business Dev.
Paul Campbell – Design Director
Former Chief of Design at the Ford Motor Company with over 35 years of experience at Ford Motor Company. Responsible for many Design-focused award-winning products including the Ford Transit.
John Reed – Engineering Director (Part-time)
30+ years at Ford Motor Company as Vehicle Engineering Manager responsible for delivery of commercial vehicles. Achievements: Van of the year.
Philip Poyner – Finance Director (Part-time)
An experienced Finance Director who has founded and participated in early stage companies, raising funds and floating a business on the LSE.
Clive Johnson - Production Director (Part-time)
Experienced entrepreneur with extensive experience commercialising innovative technologies & products.