Portable Seating for Public Transport

Design Brief:
remove hand contact from an everyday task (this was set during the COVID-19 pandemic)

Idea:
to create a seating/support solution for those using busy public transport who want to avoid sitting on dirty seats, touching the handrails, or for those who need a seat when all are taken.

Presented Solution:
a 1.7kg koala-grip-inspired portable seat. The seat was designed to be made from aluminium and ABS, and was calculated to carry up to 160kg of load. Finite element analysis was computed to ensure the koala grip was capable of supporting higher loads, and it succeeded. Images 2-4 show how the seat would be opened from a cuboid to a more ergonomic, curved base. The metal struts would rotate out on a hinge and slot into holes in the koala grip aluminium cylinder below. The seat base section has a sleeve, similar to that of a laptop case, to be placed into for easy storage in a backpack.

It was found after producing the aluminium solution that carbon fibre could be used instead for the bar to further reduce weight, however this would have been a more premium/costly product. Images 9-12 show an earlier design iteration that was dismissed for requiring too many steps to open and utilise.