en.Wedoany.com Reported - Enterprises, research institutions, and universities in Italy's Abruzzo region have recently launched the joint CLEAR R&D project to develop a supercar door demonstrator (butterfly doors or gull-wing doors). The demonstrator will be manufactured using partially recycled composite materials and will integrate sensor systems and artificial intelligence to automatically detect obstacles, objects, and external conditions, while optimizing the door's opening and closing operations.

The use of recycled composite materials is one of the project's most challenging tasks. The project team must thereby reduce the component's environmental impact and lighten the door's structural weight, while fully meeting the required stiffness standards and stringent functional opening tests.

Sensor technology is another key innovation of the project. The door will collect and process real-time data through artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms.

The CLEAR project is led by Comec Innovative, with participating institutions including Advanced Composites Solutions (ACS), Addyx, Ud'Anet (a company under the Gabriele d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara), and the University of L'Aquila. Project funding comes from the Abruzzo Region's support under the FESR 2021-2027 program (Actions 1.1.1.2 and 1.1.2.1, CUP C79J25003010007).

Members of the CLEAR project state that the initiative will lay the R&D foundation for a new generation of intelligent automotive components. The scope of work extends beyond the design of the door component itself, also encompassing the definition and validation of the entire manufacturing process chain required for industrial production; the project aims to advance the technology to TRL 8 (Technology Readiness Level 8), close to market deployment.

A recent kick-off meeting held in Chieti marked the official start of project activities. The meeting defined the division of responsibilities among partners, their respective work packages, and planned the initial operational phase. The total project duration is 30 months.