Otis Announces Winners of Made to Move Communities Challenge

Otis Worldwide Corp. announced the winning student teams for its second annual Made to Move CommunitiesTM challenge, in which Otis volunteers mentored students to use their science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills to devise mobility solutions for the aging population.

Students supported by Otis volunteer mentors developed innovative science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) solutions to real-world mobility challenges seen in their communities. Students from 20 schools across 14 countries and territories participated in the program, which, this year, focused on eliminating barriers to mobility for the rapidly growing 60+ population.

In response to this year’s program challenge, students proposed concepts that ranged from connected wheelchairs to smart escalators and a connected emergency call device that can also help to manage prescriptions, reduce and streamline paperwork related to healthcare and aid in using public transportation.

“I am so proud of the students and our Otis mentors this year who continue to develop and advance real-world STEM solutions for a critical group of our population,” said Otis Chair, CEO and President Judy Marks. “The passion and creativity of these students show the promise that resides in local communities around the world to tackle tomorrow’s challenges today.”

The winners selected in each Otis region were:

Americas: Centro de Estudios Tecnológicos Industrial y de Servicios No. 33 in Mexico City, Mexico

Students from the winning team in Mexico proposed a portable bath to help prevent falls in the bathroom, a common location for falls due to slippery floors and often small, tight spaces.

Europe, Middle East & Africa: GEMS Wellington Academy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The winning student team proposed a connected, motorized wheelchair to help older populations navigate Dubai’s shopping malls, which are among the largest in the world.

Asia Pacific: Institute of Technical Education in Singapore

The winning student team imagined the ‘WheelySTIK’ – a motorized piece of equipment that mimics caregivers’ actions to lift and support the movement of older, less mobile people, thereby reducing the risk of injury to the caregivers.

China: Nanchang University in Nanchang, China

Students from Nanchang University imagined a smart escalator that can identify passengers in wheelchairs and adjust its steps to create a stable, moving platform for passage.

The student teams spent eight weeks working with Otis mentors to develop STEM-based solutions to make it easier, safer, more efficient and more equitable for older populations to move within their communities. Each team virtually presented their ideas to a panel of regional Otis leaders who carefully evaluated the presentations.

Otis’ Made to Move Communities program continues to grow, too – expanding from nine countries and territories last year to 14 in 2022.

The announcement of the Made to Move Communities winners is part of Otis’ annual Lift Our Communities Month celebration. Throughout the month of April the company celebrates its ongoing commitment to support the communities where its colleagues live and work. Later this year, Otis will launch its third annual Made to Move Communities challenge, again teaming students and Otis volunteer mentors to develop solutions to real-world mobility issues in their local communities.