Winners of Finmeccanica Innovation Awards 2007 Chosen

Oto Melara, a company whose activities are increasingly focused on protection and security, received one of the awards for the system it patented and produced to protect vehicles deployed in danger zones from pressure wave damage generated by improvised explosive devices.
 
The system is a shield consisting of composite panels of foam, ceramics and metal that become flexible in the event of a collision, ensuring protection for the underlying vehicle structure and, above all, its occupants.
 
Though devised to increase protection for armoured vehicles such as the Ariete, Dardo and Centauro, the system can be applied to any vehicle. There was also a special mention for Luciano Armato of Oto Melara, who, together with design colleagues from the technical department at the La Spezia plant, and with the support of the entire management, patented an innovative system for motorising a wheelchair.
 
By making small modifications to a standard wheelchair and electric scooter, the team produced a new flexible, low-cost means of transport with a range of up to 20 km, which can be used indoors or outside.

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