In mobile mode, the sit-on scooter is for up to two people, with a maximum speed of 20 km/h.
Design students Corentin Janel and Guillaume Innocenti have come up with a rideable bench called “TOD”, short for “talk or drive”. This concept won the Ford Fund Smart Mobility Challenge and £12,500 (€14,600) for its creators that will go towards turning the project into reality. Organized by Ford Fund, the company’s corporate foundation and philanthropic arm, and the Royal College of Art in the UK, students participating in the challenge offered ideas for a sustainable urban mobility answer to benefit the community.
“TOD” is designed as an adaptable system with static and mobile modes. Static 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 a dedicated app.
“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,” said winning designers Janel and Innocenti.
Ford Fund also awarded £5,000 (€5,840) 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.
Students in Europe Participate
Further Ford Fund Smart Mobility Challenges have been held at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Germany; Loughborough University, UK; and the University of Valencia, Spain.
Germany
“Energetic Exchange”, an idea to turn battery charge in private vehicles into a source of currency, klonopin 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.
Spain
- “MyWay”, an app designed to place all sustainable mobility options into a centralized 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.
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).
Since the challenge first launched in 2018, Ford Fund, working with its international grant-making GlobalGiving, has distributed monies totaling more than €199,000 to student-led projects, including this year’s winners.
Winning Teams
The Royal College of Art
- TOD, Corentin Janel and Guillaume Innocenti
- Cardiac Patrol, Cheng Qian and Mingwei Lui
- Communi-T, Domenico Perna and Pavan Kumar Sirigineedi
Loughborough University
- Spectrum, Indira Patel, Kim Huijsmans, Kyle Struthers and Wu Tsz Ting
- CareMiles, Aiziel Nazario, Benedict Blyth, Haidar Darr, James Hoare, Maria Chanduvi and Tara James
- HomeACTive, Huiyu Chang, Sophia Bird, Ticha Hongsongkiat and Yongnan Hu
Cologne University of Applied Sciences
- Energetic Exchange, Dzenana Canic, Nico Schmidt, Niklas Noel Krach, Oleksii Ponomarenko, Rea Hajredinaj and Younes Charif
- Rhein Sharing, Anna Schmitz, Felix Roder, Marcel Heilich, Mariana Prado, Meryem Gencel, Rahma Guentepe and Zher Hassan
- MobilityHUB, Ammar Hesam-Zadeh, Dominik Baumann, Eva Maria Thuemling, Philip Ulrichsen, Pia Schog and Sandra Knoebel
University of Valencia
- MyWay, Adrià Aquado Lorente, Alejandro Domínguez Fuster, Alex Segarra Pérez, Àngel Troncoso Guill and Vicente Verdeguer Chirivella
- NetCare, Alberto Castillo Moya, Celia Fuentes Latorre, Clara Gisbert López and Pablo Miguel Argudo,
- EVLocker, Rafael Rodríguez Gago and Vicente Torrejón Rickard
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
EU – Rideable Bench Wins Ford Fund Smart Mobility Challenge
In mobile mode, the sit-on scooter is for up to two people, with a maximum speed of 20 km/h.
Design students Corentin Janel and Guillaume Innocenti have come up with a rideable bench called “TOD”, short for “talk or drive”. This concept won the Ford Fund Smart Mobility Challenge and £12,500 (€14,600) for its creators that will go towards turning the project into reality. Organized by Ford Fund, the company’s corporate foundation and philanthropic arm, and the Royal College of Art in the UK, students participating in the challenge offered ideas for a sustainable urban mobility answer to benefit the community.
“TOD” is designed as an adaptable system with static and mobile modes. Static 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 a dedicated app.
“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,” said winning designers Janel and Innocenti.
Ford Fund also awarded £5,000 (€5,840) 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.
Students in Europe Participate
Further Ford Fund Smart Mobility Challenges have been held at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Germany; Loughborough University, UK; and the University of Valencia, Spain.
Germany
“Energetic Exchange”, an idea to turn battery charge in private vehicles into a source of currency, klonopin enabling users to pay for the next phase of their journey or for goods and services, won €11,500.
Spain
UK
Since the challenge first launched in 2018, Ford Fund, working with its international grant-making GlobalGiving, has distributed monies totaling more than €199,000 to student-led projects, including this year’s winners.
Winning Teams
The Royal College of Art
Loughborough University
Cologne University of Applied Sciences
University of Valencia
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.