Mariani Brothers and the Revolution in Relief: The Birth of the Smart Ambulance
Innovation and Tradition Come Together in Creating the Smart Ambulance at Mariani Fratelli’s
The “Mariani Fratelli” brand has always been synonymous with professionalism, quality and dedication, encompassing a history of excellence entrusted for more than 30 years to Eng. Mauro Massai and his wife Lucia Mariani, which has its roots in a distant time. Ardelio – the father of Lucia – and his brother Alfredo, who moved to Pistoia at the end of the 1940s, soon became well-known coachbuilders, distinguishing themselves in the realizations of special types: special and commercial vehicles and racing cars based on Lancia, Alfa Romeo, and Fiat, the result of considerable collaborations with manufacturers such as the Pistoiese Fortunati and Bernardini and the Florentine Ermini.
In 1963 the Mariani brothers finished the construction of the site located on Via Bonellina, designed by the famous architect Giovanni Bassi, transferring to it the production of the old body shop on Via Monfalcone.
These were years of numerous prestigious achievements, during which the company’s orientation toward emergency vehicles was outlined.
In 1975, following the cessation of the old “Fratelli Mariani,” Ardelio re-founded, in the same Via Bonellina location, the “Mariani Fratelli Srl” with his own sons, which, after changes in the corporate structure, has been under the management of Lucia Mariani and Eng. Massai since 1990.
The decision to maintain the same location over these long years is also a result of the pre-eminence of the value character that guides the work of Mariani Fratelli, and is meant to be a sign of the cult for a tradition forged on passion and ethical commitment.
“The unmistakable style” originates first and foremost from this unwavering dedication, which results in a homogeneous fusion of tradition and innovation.
From the single will that moves the company’s owners – which has always been to guarantee the best possibilities for the world of rescue – arises the peculiar care reflected down to the smallest details, the excellence of technical thought and unsurpassed mastery of realization: a quality that finds correspondence in the satisfaction of customers scattered throughout the country and who constitute the company’s first advertisement.
The latest technological masterpiece created by Eng. Massai, Lucia Mariani and their work team is the SMART AMBULANCE.
At the heart of this project is the innovative emergency medical garrison, on board a multipurpose vehicle, with energy autonomy and penetration capabilities extended by the presence of a drone. The latter will also act as a radio antenna for connections to the non-wired network and for the integration of the garrison operating in the field into an interactive grid, whose other ganglia are the remote medical operations center, the electronic traffic control system, the accident site, and ultimately the injured persons themselves, when equipped with a cell phone and able to use it.
The Smart Ambulance will be able to reduce response times, which are crucial to saving lives; anticipate treatment with telemedicine techniques; extend its reach to hard-to-reach sites; and interact with smart-city platforms, increasing safety
its own and other vehicles on the road.
The creation of this technological jewel marked the achievement of the highest stage in ‘rescue and is now the crowning achievement of our ethical aspiration and aesthetic inspiration. Smart Ambulance is safety, efficiency, elegance. It is the “smart” face of our mission. It has determined a new level of possibility, in which technical and technological innovation are entirely placed at the service of others and life.
Contributing to the achievement of this result was an ATS: Mariani Fratelli as the lead partner, led, coordinated and directed each phase of the project; the company Zefiro-Sigma Ingegneria and the Institute of Clinical Physiology of the CNR of Pisa, whose contribution covered the dronistic part, with the construction of the drone and the implementation of its functions; the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Florence (DIEF) and the Department of Information Engineering (DINFO), on whose projects Filoni S r.l – another partner company – made the
models and molds for the upholstery and furniture modules of the Smart Ambulance.
The realization of the project was made possible thanks to the awarding of the Tuscany Region’s “Research and Development (years 2014-2020)” tender.
The Smart Ambulance was officially presented by Mariani Fratelli last November 29 in Pistoia at Toscana Fair. The event was attended by authorities and institutions: the Mayor of Pistoia Alessandro Tomasi; regional councillors Giovanni Galli and Luciana Bartolini; Prefectural Chief of Staff Dr. Lorenzo Botti; Commander of the Pistoia Carabinieri Station Lieutenant Aldo Nigro; Lieutenant of the Guardia di Finanza Giulia Colagrossi; and former Provveditore agli Studi of Lucca, Pisa and Livorno Dr. Donatella Buonriposi.