Final Proposal

Xin Liu, Reginald Tetteh, Shuzhao Chen

Professor Anna Voisard

Writing for Engineers

City College

November 28, 2016

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Abstract

This proposal will address the problem most benches in our public parks and recreational centers have. After a

rainy day, most benches available usually get wet and hence, make them useless. To solve this problem this

proposal suggests the introduction of a bench which has a rotating seat. This rotating seat will allow users to

rotate the seat to the unwet side. The rotation of the Smart bench wood be done electrically. A button would

be pressed for the rotation to occur. This bench will also have some peripheral parts such as a charging port

for laptops tablets and mobile phones. The adjustment buttons on the bench will allow users adjust the

seating position of the bench to ensure maximum comfortability. The smart bench will serve as a modernized

bench that would replace most old benches.

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Introduction:

SmartBench is needed for urban life. Nowadays, urban cities are sprawling with public parks to promote

healthy lifestyles and to spread green spaces ubiquitously. Our product is one that is physical; we plan on

recreating the design of public benches. We feel that there is a need to change the design of benches - it needs to

be modernized for it to address the wet bench problem after a rainy day.

No one knows when the first bench was invented. It is simply a construct that has been around since the

beginning of man. The first benches were most likely made of a primitive material such as wood or stone. As

human crafted better and more efficient tools, benches became paired with more elaborate and ornate designs.

The materials became more durable for chairs as wood and stone became replaced with marble and additional

stronger materials. Early civilizations such as Egypt and Greece have depicted seats in their artwork (Blair).

Gone are the use of marble; starting the Industrial Revolution, steel and metal have been deemed the most

durable and efficient of all materials. In New York City, benches by bus stops are currently made of a durable

metallic aluminum (“CityBench”), while many benches in parks are still made of wood and other vulnerable

materials that are susceptible to erosion and weathering.

Image of an ornamental chair (Egyptians are among the first to be credited with inventing the chair).

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Description

The Smart bench will be just like any regular outdoor bench, but it will serve more than just a bench. It also can

be used in any weather condition throughout the year.

The Smart bench will have a rotating backrest and butt rest. The

backrest and butt rest each have two sides. After a rainy day when

the exposed sides of the backrest and butt rest get wet, their

opposite sides can be used by rotating them. This allows you to

use their dry sides which were not affected by the rain. The

rotation process will not be tedious since you only have to press

buttons for the rotation to occur. The rotating feature of the Smart

bench will not only help to minimize the chances of you sitting on

a wet bench, but it will also add flexibility in sitting adjustments,

since both the butt rest and the back rest, could be tilted at a degree that

suits you best.

Aside from the inconvenience caused by rain, most people would like to sit outside, using their electronic

gadgets while enjoying the breeze but this comes with a compromise for them. These gadgets usually do not

have long battery hours. People who want to use their gadget outside either must carry a full charged device or

possibly not go out at all due to the unavailability of charging slots. We interviewed about twenty City college

students asking them questions concerning how often they went outdoors. Also, we took it upon ourselves

survey the number of benches with electrical sockets in Central park and the City college campus. The survey

involved counting the total number of benches and the number of benches with electrical sockets. According to

the survey we took, over ninety percent of benches in central park and the City college campus did not have any

electric sockets. Also, over sixty percent of the City college students we interviewed said that they would have

gone outdoors more often if they had charging slots available for their devices outdoors. The result of our

survey proved that most people are not willing to put up with this compromise which is sacrificing the gadget

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Fig 1. Image of a completely assembled and Labelled Smart Bench

hours to enjoy the breeze outside. We totally get them. This is the 21st century and everything we do literally

involves technology. The Smart bench solves this problem by having two electric sockets situated under each

armrest. The Smart bench will, therefore, allow people as such enjoy the outside scenery whiles being able to

use the gadgets without worry about a low battery.

How will it be installed

The Smart bench will use electricity to power up its power supply sockets. It will also use electricity for the

rotation of both the butt rest and the backrest. Before installing the Smart bench, a little trench will have to be

dug through the floor. This trench will serve as a

passage for the electrical wires which will be

connecting the Smart bench to the national grid

outdoor. Also, a large but short rectangular metal

slab will be erected vertically behind the Smart

bench. This slab will serve as a rain guard hence,

minimize the rate at which rainwater would wet the

opposite unused side of the backrest and buttrest

incase the rain falls at certain angles.

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Fig 2. Image of a Smart Bench with a vertical rain guard behind it

Fig 4. Image illustrating how wet the unused side of the back-rest can get in the absence of a rain guard

Fig 3. Image illustrating how the rain guard helps to reduce the amount of water touching the unused side of the back rest.

Attempts made to solve the Problem.

Before proposing the Smart bench,

we did some research on current

benches which tried to solve the

problem mentioned in the

description (citymetric.com). We

found only one type of bench that

sought to address the rain water

issue. This bench was designed by

a Japanese designer called Sung

Woo Park. Unfortunately, his

bench only solved the problem partially and also, its design was uncomfortable. First of all, the bench's dry side

could always get wet if it rained at certain angles. This bench only solves the problem when rain falls on it only

perpendicularly. The bench also has to be rotated manually. This could be very tedious if the bench is not

lubricated often. The bench had no back rest and also, the butt rest was made of wood. The wood part is not the

best as weather stress would cause damage to the wood

within a short time.

Why is the Smart bench is needed?6

Fig 5. Image of the bench designed by Sung Woo Park

Fig 6. Image depicting how Sung’s bench becomes useless when it rains at a certain angle

A typical classic outdoor bench is very static. Most of these benches are made of materials such as wood,

concrete, and metals such as iron. These materials although cheap are not durable and have a very short

lifespan. For example, no matter how well wood is treated it will never be the best for outdoor usage because of

its low resistance to weather stress. Also, outdoor benches that use concrete end up have a lot of algae and fungi

growing on them. Iron which is very strong easily rusts when exposed to humidity. The Smart- bench will have

many advantages over the regular benches which are used currently. Some the major benefits the Smart bench

will offer are durability and more comfortability. The Smart bench

will be made of durable materials such as stainless steel and plastic. Stainless steel is a metal which can

withstand rust and harsh weather conditions without showing any sign

of deterioration. It also has a very high tensile strength

(sciencemag.org). This means it can hold enormous weights without

having any defects such

as bending or breaking

apart. The backrest and

butt rest will be made of

steel coated with plastic.

The stainless steel Framework of the Smart bench might be coated

with a plastic coating just give it a nice woody design. This may

depend on our costumer's needs. Apart from the materials the

Smart bench uses, the Smart bench will also have additional

features such as an electric socket which could be used to charge our daily handheld devices. Also, the Smart

bench could be adjusted to some degree to provide comfortability. Due to the materials which will be used for

the Smart bench, it might last up to 30 years without any maintenance and forever with maintenance. As you

can see the Smart bench has a lot more to offer than what the average outdoor bench offers in terms of life span

and additional features.

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Fig 7. Image of a regular Classic outdoor bench

Fig 8. Image showing how less resistant wood is to severe weather conditions even when it has been treated with a coating finish

Fig 9. Image of an outdoor bench made of concrete and wood in bad condition.

Budget

The cost of the Smart bench is about the same as or a little higher than an average outdoor bench. To construct

the Smart bench, about twenty pieces of plank steel and ten round rods of stainless steels will be used. The cost

of materials were obtained from online shops such ebay, Alibaba and Home depot. The electric components of

the Smart bench cost about $500 according to the quote we received from Alibaba.com. Also, the plastic

coating finish would cost about $100(ebay.com). Last but not the least, the workers whom will install the Smart

bench will be given no more than $1000 as workmanship fee. Since the Smart bench uses electricity, there is the

need for permission to be sought from the nearest power companies in order for them to supply electric power

lines where the Smart benches would be installed. Most public parks and recreational centers already have street

lights and maybe traffic lights around them, since the Smart bench will be used mainly in public parks

(outdoors), accessibility to these power lines should be easy.

Detailed Budget Chart

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Materials Quantity Price

Stainless Steel

(rod, Framework, slab)

300kg $ 765.00

Plastic coating 1 gallon $ 50.00

Electric motor 4 pieces $300.00

Operation button mother board 2 pieces $100.00

Electric wire (cooper) 20 feet $65.00

Workmanship $ 1000.00

(Sources ebay.com, Alibaba.com, Home depot)

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.

The technical aspects of how the Smart bench will be constructed and how it works.

The Smart bench would support at least two people. It has a rigid

metal framework. The backrest and the butt rest of the Smart

bench can all be rotated or inclined to any angle. Electricity will

be supplied to the Smart Bench through its electric cable which

is located at the tip of the seat metal framework that makes

contact with the ground. Each back rest cavity and butt rest will

have an electric rotating motor which will be connected to a

rotating rod. There are two pairs of operation buttons on each

arm rest. The operation buttons are covered with plastic/rubber

hence water can never enter it. When the buttons are pressed the

motor rotates. This rotation causes the rotation rod also to turn, the rotating rod, as a result, turns the backrest or

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Fig 10. Image of the Frame work of the Smart bench illustrating the Smart bench’s core parts

Fig 11. Image showing the operation buttons on the arm rest of the Smart bench

butt rest depending on the type of button pressed. The armrest has written labels which indicate which pair of

the buttons is to be used to control either the backrest or the butt rest.

The backrest and butt rest will be made of steel coated with plastic.

Just beneath the arm rest are electrical slots. The slots will supply a

voltage of 120 volts and a current of 1 to 7 amps. These slots can be

used to power or charge devices such as mobile phones, laptops, and

tablets. As a precaution, the electric slots have been enclosed with

plastic strips. These stripes add more waterproofing to the slots.

Since the butt rest is horizontal and rainwater might collect in the

centre of it, microtubes will be made around its edge such that the water

collected will be channeled through the microtubes to the ground. To

even speed up the rate of water flow the center of the butt rest will be titled at a small angle. This will aid a

faster flow of the water thus, preventing water from

being collected on the butt rest.

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Fig13. Image showing the micro tubes around the edges of the butt rest

Fig 12. Image showing the electric sockets which are located under the armrest of the Smart bench

Conclusion

The Smart bench is a very promising innovative product. It is modeled to adapt the twenty-first century way of

life. This bench was mainly made for outdoor use. Our main targets for this chair will be institutions such as

universities hotels and public spaces such as recreational centers and national parks. We imagine a future where

the Smart bench would be an integral part of our lives.

Works Cited

Blair, Elizabeth. "Better Sit Down For This One: An Exciting Book About The History Of

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Fig 15. Different viewing angle of a fully assembled Smart bench

Chairs." NPR. NPR, 3 Sept. 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

"CityBench." NYC DOT - Pedestrians - CityBench. The City of New York, n.d. Web. 28 Nov.

2016.

CityMetric Staff. "These Rotating Benches Become Dry Seats after Rainstorms." CityMetric.

Horizons, 2 Dec. 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

"How to Choose the Best Material for Outdoor Furniture." Patio Productions. N.p., 16 July 2014.

Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

"New York City Census." The United States Census. The United States Census Bureau, n.d.

Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Spoerl, Joseph S. "A Brief History of Iron and Steel Manufacture." A Brief History of Iron and

Steel Manufacture. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

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