Inclusive Mobility Project for Smart Cities creates inclusivity for all (for once)
When transportation design students from IED worked with Leitat and Singular Entrepreneurs, great things happened
It has often seemed to us (at CDN) that mobility design solutions should be created to be accessible to all. So we were delighted when we found out about this project, a collaboration between Singular Enterprises (a ‘living lab’ for social transformation) IED Barcelona University and Leitat (a tech group). The project arose from a call to tender launched by the Toyota automotive company entitled ’The Mobility Unlimited Challenge’.
From this hothouse of creative thinking has emerged the Toyota ME and the Toyota US. The ME is a domestic mobility system (better looking than any ’domestic mobility systems’ we have come across) that enables users to move around freely by becoming a (kind of) extension of themselves. With the help of an app, the device memorises the layout of the home so it can move independently around each room. Customisation options include differing head- and foot-rests, and handling options (excellent). Toyota ME is able to simulate walking while the user is seated, and also features several elevation modes, as well as turning into a bed-like structure to help users get up from horizontal surfaces. A great example of how artificial intelligence can be used in the home to improve wellbeing.
The Toyota US is the urban mobility system, for the city. Built to use shared electric platforms (which move autonomously around the city) users can request transportation by the platforms and users can also select their preferred speed and dynamics.The platforms have been designed to easily work with the Toyota ME device (or not, depending on preference) and can be used to travel with other people by linking up two different platforms and syncing their final destination.
The PDF download has some more details about the project, but the sketches with this story have come from the IED design students who worked on this admirable project. As the literature states: ”As well as tearing down the barriers that stand in people’s way because of their functional capacities and giving people more freedom and physical independence, the idea also endeavours to redesign the future of mobility in our society. Though ambitious, this is a much needed step if we are to shape a more inclusive future offering equal opportunities for everyone.”
We couldn’t agree more.
