Developed by students: Chelsey Davies, James Wortley, Bartosz Wojtkowski and James Shaw.

Since 4th July 2020, UK cities have been able to trial electric scooter hire services. Proponents of the service claim that the use of scooters will help reduce car use, leading to cleaner, quieter and safer streets.

The team was inspired by an increasing interest about, and need for, accessible and sustainable transport, they aimed to design a safe and reliable, easy to use, short distance transport vehicle.

As a more environmentally friendly mode of transport; the ‘Skuchair’ proposes a shared scheme that positions e-scooters as an alternative option whilst also supporting parents with young children and to encourage more users to use shared mobility schemes.

The ‘Skuchair’ concept was to design a vehicle that can rapidly convert from e-scooter to buggy. The design idea therefore addresses family needs at different points in maturity, with the same overall system serving the need for a buggy which can be pushed, and the need for a scooter that can be use by a parent with a child ‘passenger’. The convertible nature of the vehicle could allow a user to adopt scooter or chair modes depending on their location, for example, scooting from hub to shopping mall, or perhaps a park, pushing within the area, then scooting to return.

Key requirements for the student investigation were:

• Seat suitable for 1 to 4 years old
• Child seat can withstand a maximum weight of 30kg
• Scooter itself capable of withstanding 150kg
• Max speed limited to 12.5mph
• Total weight of the Skuchair is 15kg
• Conversion time from modes is under 30 seconds
• Range of 20 miles

Proposal considerations:

• 5-point harness, side-wall protection of the body, raised seat
• A composite material chosen for the seat, with a rigid outer layer, foam core and cushioning on seat surface to provide comfort

The images shown are provided as provocations to assess reactions to this idea – for example, would it be acceptable to parents? Safe for children? Would it encourage extension of the e-scooter model to a wider range of users – to be more inclusive to women/parents with children?