Aug 27, 2024
San Carlos, CA, February 6, 2018 – WHILL was a winner of this year’s iF DESIGN AWARD, a world-renowned design prize. The winning product, Model C, an intelligent personal electric vehicle (PEV), won in the discipline Product, in the Medicine/Health/Care category. Each year, the world’s oldest independent design organization, Hannover-based iF International Forum Design GmbH, organizes the iF DESIGN AWARD.
The competition was intense: over 6,400 entries were submitted from 54 countries in hopes of receiving the seal of quality. Model C won over the 63-member jury, made up of independent experts from all over the world, with its power to eliminate the feeling of self-consciousness reflected in antiquated scooters and wheelchairs. The Model C is a category-defining product, one that uniquely combines a sleek, fashionable design with advanced driving features, and equipped with the latest technology, such as bluetooth, cellular data connectivity and GPS, for greater independence and peace-of-mind.
WHILL also received the CES 2018 “Best of Innovation Awards” in Accessibility Tech and an Engadget “Best of CES” finalist for their US version, Model Ci, and the iF Design Award recognition further demonstrates WHILL’s impact through innovation and smart design.
Since its founding in 2013, WHILL’s mission is to transform today’s antiquated power wheelchair and scooter experiences into a new kind of empowering device, an intelligent personal electric vehicle (EV). WHILL is reinventing the personal mobility industry with an Intelligent Personal EV that focuses on an approachable and aesthetically pleasing powered vehicle that boosts confidence and pushes the boundaries of personal transportation. Headquartered in the Bay Area with offices in Tokyo and Taiwan, WHILL is focused on enabling everyone to explore the world in comfort and style.
For 65 years, the iF DESIGN AWARD has been recognized as an arbiter of quality for exceptional design. The iF label is renowned worldwide for outstanding design services, and the iF DESIGN AWARD is one of the most important design prizes in the world. Submissions are awarded in the following disciplines: Product, Packaging, Communication and Service Design/UX, Architecture and Interior Architecture as well as Professional Concept. All awarded entries are featured on the iF WORLD DESIGN GUIDE, in the iF design app and are displayed at the iF design exhibition Hamburg.
The WHILL Model Ci is only available in the United States and is not to be considered a medical device and has not been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for review or clearance. The WHILL Model C wheelchair is currently sold only in Japan.
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