Rideable Bench Wins Smart Mobility Challenge

The way that we navigate our cities is changing. People are increasingly walking, cycling and riding scooters to reach their final destination. There is also a growing need for street furniture where residents and visitors can relax and rest. 

 
Now, design students Corentin Janel and Guillaume Innocenti have come up with an intriguing concept – a rideable bench called “TOD”, short for “talk or drive”.

This idea won our Ford Fund Smart Mobility Challenge – and £12,500 (€14,600) for its creators that will go towards turning the project into a reality. Organised by Ford Fund, our philanthropic arm, and the Royal College of Art, in the UK, students participating in the challenge came up with ideas that offer a sustainable urban mobility solution and benefit the community.

“We wanted to create a community service that adapts to the urban life of its users. Winning the challenge gives us a lot of confidence in our proposal, and it allows us to build a prototype so that our idea can become a reality. Working on a full-scale prototype will enable us to fully understand the package and at the same time think about the materials, the process and the user experience.”

Corentin Janel & Guillaume Innocenti, 

TOD designers

“TOD” is designed as an adaptable system with a static mode and mobile mode. In static mode, it is a bench that can be extended to accommodate three people. Accessories such as chairs and corners can easily by added using a plug-in style kit system, while a flat square can be connected to two benches to form a picnic table.

In mobile mode, the sit-on scooter is for up to two people, with a maximum speed of 20 km/h. A hatch in the middle provides space for luggage, while stretching bands on the back and sides enable users to transport small and long items. Users can locate and book a bench or sit-on scooter using the dedicated app.

“A rideable bench is a great example of how design can help form the fabric of cities, as it’s something that’s fun, practical and multi-functional. It’s a clever way to make mobility part of the city, encourage people to interact and enable people to experience cities in a totally new way.”

Amko Leenarts,
Director of Design, Ford of Europe

£5,000 (€5,840) was awarded to “Cardiac Patrol”, a proposal to equip private vehicles with automated external defibrillator devices for emergency use; and to “Communi-T”, an interactive vehicle that could help homeless people and those in need. 

Further Ford Fund Smart Mobility Challenges have been held across Europe, with these winners:

Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Germany:

· “Energetic Exchange”, an idea to turn battery charge in private vehicles into a source of currency, enabling users to pay for the next phase of their journey or for goods and services, won €11,500.

· “Rhein Sharing”, a mobility station making use of renewable energy sources to charge e-bikes and e-scooters, won €4,000.

· “MobilityHUB”, a warehouse that gathers various forms of micro-mobility into one accessible location, won €4,000.

University of Valencia, Spain:

· “MyWay”, an app designed to place all sustainable mobility options into a centralised place for easy access and more efficient multi-modal journeys, won €12,500.

· “NetCare”, an app that helps families monitor and care for their elderly and dependent members, won €5,000.

· “EVLocker”, city stations for the storing and charging of electric mobility devices, won €5,000.

Loughborough University, UK:

· “Spectrum”, a proposal to set up inclusive supermarket checkouts for people with autism, creating a private area without music and with silent scanners to reduce the possibility of sensory overload, won £10,000 (€11,680).

· “CareMiles”, a support charity that provides door-to-door empathetic transport for patients needing to attend medical appointments, won £5,000 (€5,840).

· “HomeACTive”, a service that prompts people working from home to be more active by integrating house chores with home working, won £5,000 (€5,840).
 

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