With more than 115 advanced technological projects under its belt so far, Mawashi Science & Technology possesses an extended expertise in terms of Research and Development (R&D). On the basis of its acquired experience through the realization of these projects, and also by using an innovative approach at the forefront of the conventional, Mawashi makes it a duty to explore the numerous facets of a project so as to identify the best possible solution which satisfies all aspects to be covered.

Mawashi uses the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) protocol to ensure constancy, precision, effectiveness and opportunism in all projects. It does so to make sure that the final job as well as the ensuing results are valid in a scientific context, and so that they form the basis of principles evolution and of scientific or technological knowledge. With SR&ED, Mawashi can identify the technological uncertainties of any given project, formulate hypotheses, and carry out studies and applied experiments for validation purposes with the aim to seek a technological advancement.

With a methodology of development of new products orientated towards human factors, ergonomics as well as biomimicry, Mawashi definitely sets itself apart from competition. Besides, the developed products and solutions brought by Mawashi shine with their originality, their ergonomics and their precision, thanks to our capacity to solve technological and scientific uncertainties in a non-conventional way. Indeed, our multidisciplinary research team combines different domains of expertise and competencies to create a very high-level synergetic innovative force with a unique approach:

core competencies

innovation

At Mawashi, innovation is at the heart of all research and development processes and is an integral part of our core competencies. The desire to innovate inspires all members of our team to surpass themselves and to design innovative and unconventional products which redefine the standards of the market.

HUMAN factors engineering

Our expertise in human factors engineering leans on a profound understanding of the systems of the human body and of the physiological and cognitive processes linked to it in reaction to dangerous and difficult situations. With this knowledge, Mawashi designs products with minimal impact on the user's ease and range of motion, which improves his ability to perform his tasks and allows him to reach new heights in terms of mobility and performance.

biomimicry

Our expertise in biomimicry stretches to the understanding of the various elements in our planet and the forms of life which live in it. It also stretches to the reproduction/imitation of specific natural processes (existing here in this planet) in order to link them up with the development of new products and therefore resolve these problems. Since Nature has already thoroughly tested many characteristics and attributes of biodiversity, Mawashi takes advantage of this fact to integrate some of these features in its concepts in order to create unique, high-performance products.

impact management

Our expertise in impact management refers to the detailed analysis of threats and of trials to have a thorough understanding of different types and mechanics related to the notion of impact, its effects on the human body and methods by which to counter and to manage the shock wave. In particular, Mawashi has extensively studied the mechanisms of redirection and mitigation of shock waves, whether these result from a ballistic or blunt impact.

new product development

Our expertise in new product development includes research, conception, development, prototyping, manufacturing and technology transfer. In order to develop original and ingenious products, Mawashi uses a design process that includes brainstorming sessions as well as market and risk analyzes. In addition, several prototyping iterations using different technologies to represent the preliminary concepts are carried out in order to experiment with different ideas and converge towards the optimal solution.

industrial design

Our expertise in industrial design helps us to improve aesthetics, ergonomics, and use of a product by taking into account technical, economic and functional constraints, with the intention of getting the «Wow» factor and to ensure user acceptance of these products. Mawashi uses industrial design to harmonize the functionalities of a product with its geometry and appearance in order to convey the appropriate message to the users. Thus, with a design language that includes a clever harmony of curvatures and sharp edges, Mawashi's products reflect a coherent, intuitive, refined and meaningful design, and express at first glance elegance, robustness, efficiency.

multiphysics engineering

Our expertise in engineering has grown to include mechanical, electrical engineering, mechatronics and biomedical. Its numerous fields of application make our engineering capacity an unpredictable and powerful tool for the development of new products. The combination of the different engineering branches present at Mawashi makes it possible to cover all aspects of a project and to determine the optimal solution satisfying all the requirements.

SYSTEMS integration

Our expertise in systems integration facilitates visualisation and understanding of the elements of a system with a global vision, to ensure that they work together in synergy. In addition, Mawashi strives to maximize compatibility between its products and existing equipment to facilitate the acceptance and use of its products.

 

Fields of expertise

Human Augmentation Systems

The Human Augmentation Systems (HAS) are a new range of products which allows the human to augment its capacities such as strength or endurance, vision, smell or hearing. These products are more and more used in various sectors, that is: defense, law enforcement and first responders, medical or industrial applications (shipbuilding, construction of buildings, car manufacturing, assembly line, etc.). Depending on the given applications, the HAS can be fixed in a workstation (stationary) or with freedom of movement (without fixed tie).

More specifically, exoskeletons are a type of HAS which aims at giving an assistance to the user via a structure (rigid, semi-rigid or flexible) external to the human body and that interacts directly with the musculoskeletal system. The main categories of exoskeletons include the active, the passive and the pseudo-passive exoskeletons:

• PASSIVE EXOSKELETONS: They redistribute and redirect the load carried by the user via particular mechanisms and a complex structure (no need of external source of energy).

• QUASI-PASSIVE EXOSKELETONS: Temporary energy storage mechanisms such as springs or rubber bands are used in this category of exoskeletons to help the movements of the user while he keeps a zero energy balance/consumption (without external contribution of energy).

• ACTIVE EXOSKELETONS: They use an actuated system to provide additional power to the user. In order to activate the actuators of an active exoskeleton, one or several batteries in association with a control system composed of numerous sensors and a central data-processing unit (CPU) are added to the structure of the exoskeleton to calculate the torque and orientation of the actuators.

In this domain, Mawashi specialized in the conception of high-performance passive exoskeletons that redirect (towards the ground) the load carried by a soldier thanks to a rigid structure and a design that allows the soldier to be free of a part of the load burden which he must carry during a mission. The exoskeleton technology developed by Mawashi represents a major innovation in the field of defense and could definitely change the way battles are led.

 

Load-Carriage

Nowadays, the infantryman faces up problem of asymmetrical warfare which requires more and more technical accessories resulting in an overloaded soldier. Consequently, armed forces are considering their options to reduce the load of the soldier by re-drawing every item which the soldier carries with regards to current soldier modernization programs. The cost to re-fabricate and to redistribute these items will be huge. Two alternatives arise therefore: in the short term, an undoubtedly necessary and less expensive solution is to find a better way to balance this load and to redirect it to the ground using the biomimicry approach; in the long term, reducing directly the burden of the soldier, along with the system of redirection of the load, would be a viable option to consider.

Bipedal locomotion of the human body

As bipeds, the human being uses his linear anatomy and gravity to advance and to move. Compared with other warm-blooded animals, the human beings are among the most energy-efficient runners / walkers. All our anatomy was conceived according to this concept.

How does this design work?

When we walk, we in fact lean forward and fall of in such a controlled way so as to allow the back leg to sway forward with a minimal energy while taking back our balance with every step we make to move forward. The upper body is persistently in this state of unstable balance, and we use this inclination to propel ourselves forward. We also use our arms as pendulums for stabilization purposes.

Since we possess this architecture (a linear anatomy functioning with gravity) this makes us 75% more energy efficient in comparison with quadrupeds. This would not be possible without the gravitational acceleration, which makes a major contribution to the highly efficient system (instead of using constant muscular energy to move us). Also, it is important that the muscle groups are able to rest periodically between each step (which is similar to the function of the heart, where rest between each beat itself is known to allow recovery time for further maintenance of healthy tissues).

Weight gain and load management

It is impressive how nature designed our bodies to remain effective even when we experience significant weight gain. Nature knows where to add extra weight to our body in a very effective way (the right place ensures a good movement). Consequently, you can observe individuals who gain an excess weight of 70 to 200 kg and who are still able to walk at an adequate level of efficiency (basically they are still able to walk). However, a soldier in good physical condition can not carry such additional weight (as transported equipment) even for a short period of time (more than 70 kg is extremely difficult and more than 200 kg is impossible.) This clearly demonstrates the importance of managing the load on the human body.

Equipment Design for the Soldier

With regards to the soldier's operational needs, it is understood that it is impossible to change the location of the backpack on the individual. Would there be a way to redirect the load so as to increase the effectiveness of the dismounted soldier? One solution would be to keep the backpack at the same position, while redirecting the load by mechanical levers to the desired location on the body according to biomechanics and load management for human locomotion. We believe this is possible.

 

Personal Protective Equipment

Mawashi has extensive experience in the field of personal protective equipment. Our multidisciplinary team and our systemic approach to soldier equipment allow us to develop innovative solutions. Our understanding of the physiological and psychological responses of the human body helps us to design a set of systems that will ensure the safety and comfort of the dismounted soldier.

Mawashi understands the needs of users in terms of protection, mobility, flexibility and thermoregulation. Mawashi develops and manufactures high quality products that are of superior quality, at a competitive price.

Mawashi has the ability to develop equipment that protects against the following hazards:

• Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE)

• Blunt Trauma

• Ballistic Impacts

• Blast and Fragmentation

• Fire / Flame

 

High-Tech Clothing and Individual Equipment

Thanks to a thorough knowledge of the human body and a great expertise in textile materials, Mawashi has the capacity to develop advanced clothing and equipment. In order to maximize the comfort and efficiency of the products developed by Mawashi, the following points are optimized:

• Ergonomics

• Thermoregulation (management of body temperature and evacuation of sweating)

• Physical Restrictions

• Ease and Range of Motion

• Product Features

By using our Industrial Design skills, the appearance of the product will be tailored to the functionality it is intended for in order to achieve a Human-Centered, Coherent, Intuitive, Streamlined, Elegant and Meaningful Design, to ensure a "Wow" Factor which will directly affect the User Acceptance of the product.

 

Thermoregulation of the Human Body

Constraints of the soldier

Mawashi understands the constraints of the warfighter' s operational work, where significant sources of physical, psychological and thermal stress are detrimental to his health and safety. We know that it is possible to alleviate these stresses by improving the thermal regulation of the body using an external cooling source.

Microclimate cooling

Mawashi studied the physiological and psychological factors that influence the natural mechanisms of thermoregulation. These include physical factors (different types and levels of physical activity), individual factors (age, gender, weight, fitness, aerobic fitness, etc.), clothing factors and environmental factors. Moreover, we understand the importance of the natural mechanism of evacuation of the perspiration which allows the body to cool, and which ensures the comfort of the individual.

Environments and thermal stresses

As the soldier works in a variety of environments, he is at risk of heat discomfort. At very high temperatures, the body cannot acclimate by itself to the environment and it needs an external cooling source to help it. There are three types of heat-related discomfort: in increasing order of gravity, these include heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The primary cause of these phenomena is related to the inability of the body to release heat. However, under certain climatic conditions (eg, temperate / wet, desert / dry, etc.), clothing prevents the body from normal thermoregulation, which creates a barrier that prevents internal heat evacuation. Protective equipment and multilayers are the main reasons for this.

Previous Success

Please refer to Mawashi's Advanced Personal Thermoregulation System (APTS) (Microclimate Cooling and Heating).