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FER RUGAMA | ART & DESIGN
BRIEF
Conceptualization, prototype development and design of an alternative transportation option for young professionals that live in downtown Cartago (Costa Rican city), as a value proposal to face problems such as road congestion and the reduction of CO2 emissions.
VORSO:
URBAN MOBILITY
2019 | COLLEGE PROJECT
COURSE
Design VII, Costa Rica Institute of Technology
COLLAB
Group project
(group of 3 students)
ROLE
Product designer Product renderizer Conceptualizer
TECH
Solid Works & Keyshot
3D Printing Machine
Industrial machinery
FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE
1:1 Scaled Functional Prototype (due to time limitations we weren’t asked to build it with the final visual design, only to make it functional), made with wood, different types of metal and small pieces made by 3D Printing. The prototype is powered by a high efficiency battery connected to the 2 front tires.
GOALS
• Change the interaction of people living in the city by providing a different alternative to their transportation and enabling them to enjoy mobility within it.
• Design a product that is visually assertive.
• Provide a valuable proposal that addresses the road congestion of cities and helps reduce CO2 emissions.
CHALLENGES
The construction of the physical prototypes was the biggest challenge, but we learned a lot from our mistakes, and were able to find solutions to the problems that came up with the construction in a very efficient manner.
PHASE 4: FIRST PROTOTYPE
After defining all the previous points, we then had to conduct extensive research regarding how we would propose to build the final product. This would be only theoretical since we were asked to create a 1:1 scaled functional prototype without diving into its visual design, as long as we created a digital 3D Model of the final product with the visual design implemented.
So based on other similar vehicles like scooters and bicycles, we researched materials, components, assembly systems, proportions, measurements, and existing technology, among other factors. With all the discoveries from that research and the requirements we defined, we started creating drafts of the digital model. After that, we were asked to create a first simplified version of the prototype (video on the left) to test some basic things like materials, measurements, and assembly systems.
PHASE 3: NECESSITIES & REQUIREMENTS
The needs are established according to the user's profile, the context, and the environment, in order to have a complete overview of all the requirements that the product must meet.
PROCESS
PHASE 1: RESEARCH & CONTEXT DEFINITION
As a first step, our teacher wanted us to research and propose at least 3 contexts for where the product was going to be used. After considering our options, such as alternative transportation for mobility in "Oxígeno Mall, Human Playground" (which could give us a more recreational and fun focus) and alternative transportation for students solely on our university campus, my partners and I ruled out those options based on different criteria. We decided on a more realistic and viable option, which was to amplify the product's reach by still using our university campus, but also its surroundings: Cartago (a city in Costa Rica).
Cartago was selected as the main context of use for the product because it represents a city with the characteristics of larger cities but on a smaller scale. It's a city with constant traffic of people and vehicles, where it's not possible to expand the roads or make significant changes in its distribution. This allows for an initial analysis of a larger problem.
Additionally, Cartago is one of the few cities in Costa Rica that has a bikeway. In this specific case, the bikeway connects most of the city to key locations, such as our university campus. The bikeway also provides an initial platform for testing the product and collecting cultural and social assessments of the alternative mobility proposal within the city.
OVERVIEW
The main goal of this project was to bring a solution that would change the interaction of people living in a city with traffic jam problems, giving a different alternative to move, behave and enjoy the mobility inside of it.
Skip process, jump to final solution →
SOLUTION
CONCEPT: "ALTERNATIVE URBANISM"
Design of a different, innovative and austere proposal that allows alternative mobility and interaction in an urban context.
SEMANTIC PHRASE: AUSTERE
"That which is simple and without fanfare or superfluous decorations"
According to the previous study of the context of use and the target user, a semantic phrase is defined that responds to the needs and characteristics. The design is austere from its visual definition to its construction. It intends to use the least amount of material; its structures are merely those necessary to be functional, and the unions and points of interaction are simple and unobtrusive. In this way, the final result is an object that, in its simple and stylized form, fulfills its function without the need to attract attention through superfluous decorative elements.
Research and definition of context and necessities > User definition > Analysis of similar products> Concept definition > First prototype> Adjustments > Digital model > Adjustments > Final digital model > Construction of the final prototype
FOLDED MODALITY
The whole system is designed so that the product can be folded and compressed into a smaller area with the objective of being stored in an office or small space, and so that it can be easier to carry from one place to another.
PHASE 2: USER DEFINITION
Based on an actual problem presented to several young teachers at our university, we decided to provide an alternative transportation product for young professionals who live and work in downtown Cartago. Considering that the users are working professionals and have economic independence, their needs revolve around solving their mobility within a single area (a specific city) in an efficient way that allows them to maintain their independence and not rely on public transportation or, due to the city's considerable size, walking.
PHASE 5: FINAL PROTOTYPES
After defining all the previous points, we then had to conduct extensive research regarding how we would propose to build the final product. This would be only theoretical since we were asked to create a 1:1 scaled functional prototype without diving into its visual design, as long as we created a digital 3D Model of the final product with the visual design implemented.
So based on other similar vehicles like scooters and bicycles, we researched materials, components, assembly systems, proportions, measurements, and existing technology, among other factors. With all the discoveries from that research and the requirements we defined, we started creating drafts of the digital model. After that, we were asked to create a first simplified version of the prototype (video on the left) to test some basic things like materials, measurements, and assembly systems.
SCOOTER MODALITY
This modality was designed to travel small distances. The integrated battery allows the user to not do any major physical efforts.
SEATED MODALITY
Thanks to a simple system, the scooter can be transformed into an electric bike-type vehicle. This gives the user a more relaxed option for when they need to travel longer distances.
One of my two partners, Marco Rodriguez, interacting with our very basic first prototype.
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