Lightweight and Smart Solutions for Next-Generation Mobility

In the following decades, the mobility ecosystem, and the way we are part of it, will be driven by profound and radical transformations that will significantly shape our habits and lives. This IDEA League summer school aims to strengthen participants’ consciousness of the challenges that the mobility ecosystem will tackle in the following decades, especially in urban scenarios, by providing a multidisciplinary and broad perspective. It also aims to inform participants on state-of-the-art technologies and approaches that could be exploited to adequately address these challenges. The topics that will be deepened during the school include but are not limited to: the main sub-systems of vehicles; the contribution of metamaterials and composite materials, and related design strategies in developing multi-functional and lightweight solutions; how sensors and digital interfaces could be exploited to enhance travelling experiences. These topics will be enriched with demonstrations concerning the potential of Additive Manufacturing and Extended Reality technologies in boosting such transformations.

Previous knowledge of vehicle design is welcomed but not mandatory. A strong interest in learning insights on design approaches, the main characteristics of advanced materials and manufacturing processes, and smart and digitalisation strategies is expected. Curiosity and passion concerning the main mobility-related aspects are crucial. A multidisciplinary audience is desired to build a comprehensive view of the topic with the participants’ contributions.

By attending the summer school, participants will be able to:

• Understand the main global transformations and needs that are pushing the development of solutions for next-generation mobility
• Explain the main multidisciplinary strategies that could be exploited to design and develop next-generation vehicles
• Select and apply these strategies to propose new concepts of systems or sub-systems that could be integrated into next-generation vehicles
• Analyse the technical feasibility of the proposed solutions as well as their potential impact
• Propose the developed solutions within the context of the overall summer school topic and in front of an evaluation committee