Stand-by Mobility Device for Local Purposes

Stand-by Mobility Device for Local Purposes

Van der Wee, R.G.A.

Flipsen, S.F.J. (mentor)
Jellema, A.H. (mentor)

Industrial Design Engineering

Design Engineering

2010-07-28

This graduation project focuses on the design of a “Stand-by Mobility Device for Local Purposes” (SMDLP). The SMDLP is a multi-functional mobility device, designed for supermarket visiting. The concept can be best imagined as a fusion of a carrier cycle, shopping cart and baby stroller. Namely the SMDLP has three comparable configurations: (1) cycling - riding mode, (2) shopping - walking mode and (3) storage - stand-by mode. This enables people to use the same device for both transportation and supermarket visiting. This idea of combining three yet existing functionalities into one device came forth from the idea that current transportation means are lacking in efficiency in case of supermarket visiting. (Travelling by car may cause traffic-jams, environmental pollution and fatal accidents; using the public transport may result in delays and by riding a bike one is unable to transport bigger loads safely; walking requires a lot of effort and time). In case of supermarket visiting people have to decide whether they go by car, public transport, bicycle or walk to the supermarket. Especially citizens, living in highly urbanised areas are limited in transportation abilities; because of limited parking space for cars and bicycles, busy travel routes and crowded supermarkets. The SMDLP intents to be the alternative: the device is ‘dedicated’ to supermarket visiting. People living in highly urbanised areas could use the SMDLP to transport (over short distances of 0-1km) themselves to the supermarket, gather shoppings (average is 7,5 kg and max 15kg) inside the supermarket, cycle back home and take the SMDLP along inside when storing the shoppings in the fridge or closets. The SMDLP can be folded into a compact package so people are able to store the device itself; ‘stand-by’ in the hallway, balcony or in any desired room. The SMDLP has been enriched, in terms of creating a more ‘intelligent’ product by implementing both (1) a rental system and (2) a payment system. When implementing a payment and rental system, the main idea would be to sale the SMDLPs to the supermarket (guarantees high sale quantities) and implement some sort of customer bonding; users can freely make use of the supermarket’s SMDLP rental system (no cost of ownership for consumer) but are bond onto that one specific supermarket chain when using its transportation mean. With this system supermarkets can transform into a new formula where less conventional shopping cart, car parking spaces and bicycle racks are needed.

design
mobility
vehicle
supermarket

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:60dc93db-8454-4cc0-9d05-473c87145954

Campus only

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2010 Van der Wee, R.G.A.