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A Seriously Fun Airport Vehicle for Passengers with Reduced Mobility
What is the best way to get airport passengers with reduced mobility to the gate and back? Nowadays, many airports use golf carts. But as the name says, these vehicles aren't designed with airports in mind. Therefore, Dutch manufacturer Special Mobility asked design firm Studio Rotor to design a vehicle that does meet the specific needs of airports and passengers.
Meet the Multimobby. It's a highly maneuverable electric vehicle, which is able to make 360 degree turns on the spot. It automatically slows down for obstacles and/or persons that walk too close to the vehicle. The high sides provide safety for passengers, especially when going through narrow spaces or into elevators. The wheels are fully covered to protect the people around the vehicle. And it's fun to drive!
See the Multimobby in action in a short animation or a product movie (from 1:39)
Design Team
Design: Studio Rotor
Client: Special Mobility
Designed for safety
This vehicle is designed with safety in mind. The driver seat is raised to provide clear oversight of the surroundings. Also, the high side doors ensure that passengers won't put their arms outside. Next to these physical barriers, a full sensor package monitors obstacles and people outside the vehicle. The speed is automatically reduced if necessary to prevent a collision.
Fun to ride for drivers and passengers
The Multimobby drives like a tank–in a positive way. With its zero-turning radius, drivers can make 360 degree turns on the spot. It's actually easy to drive it into an elevator. And seriously, who wouldn't want to drive into an elevator?
Efficient and comfortable
This vehicle design can take up to 7 passengers, whereas current solutions can only take 5 with the same outer dimensions. Through a smart vehicle layout, it is possible to provide every passenger with enough leg space. Furthermore, all seats have a low entrance, to ensure accessibility for less mobile passengers. The first vehicles are currently being tested at Brussel Airport and London Heathrow, and early feedback is very positive.
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Comments
The Mobby chair looks humiliating to use. The chairs hook together putting you much too close together with the people in front and behind. Your feet are enclosed by a frame which looks difficult to escape if there is a chair hooked up in front of you. Being moved en masse with strangers may be more cost effective for the airport, but it sure as hell doesn't make my trip "stress-free and enjoyable" It's clear that the airport is the customer here, not the passengers.
The Multimobby looks like an improvement over a golf cart, but that "advanced safety feature" where it autobrakes if someone walks in front of the collision sensor is a nightmare. The deceleration sends one of the passengers in the front seat tipping forward. There are many conditions where a person would be unable to self stabilize and would hit the rail in front of them. All it would take is a little reprogramming to ease-on the brakes.
Lets put less emphasis on packing 7 people into the same space and actually center on the needs of the user please.
Thanks for taking the time to share your views on both the Multimobby cart and the Mobby wheelchair. It's good to hear your opinion. My reaction on your comment:
The airport (or its suppliers) buy these vehicles and wheelchairs. So yes,
they are the customers. And thus, these products will have to work for
them as well as their customers, the passengers. When designing
for airports, it's always a matter of carefully balancing the needs of
the airport, the passengers and the operators.
Regarding the auto-brake functionality of the Multimobby: the movie was shot during a prototype test. The brakes have already been reprogrammed, so it's a lot smoother now.
Regarding the Mobby chair (from the movie): when they are linked together, there is actually quite some space between the people. Being 1m90 tall, I've ridden them myself and there's more space than in a typical bus, tram or plane. The frame around the feet provides safety and a feeling of safety, so I wouldn't want to get rid of that neither. Anyway, the idea is that the chairs will always be unlinked before people step off, so no one would have to step out sideways.