Ori: A Solution to the Last Mile Problem for Commuters
The “Last Mile” for commuters is a term that describes the last part of a person’s journey to their workplace. Especially in larger cities, people take the bus or drive, however the nearest bus stops or parking garages are not always right next door to the office building. I first started off with research. I discovered what was already out there in the escooter and ebike world, and decided to focus on storage area, ease of use, and foldability, so anyone commuting could pick it up and use it without a worry.
Foldability peaked my interest. I wanted to figure out how to make rigid, hard materials like metal and wood fold like paper. Model making started with foamcore and tape, and then expanded to wood, and finally into metal and welding. During this process, I bounced back and forth between sketching, physical model making and CAD work.
Initial foamcore exploration helped determine dimensions, materials, and other parts needed to make this concept in a larger scale.
A full size, wood model showed the folding proof of concept.
A full size, welded metal model confirmed function and movement of parts.
The joints and stability were the toughest problem to work out. The folding mechanism needed to be sturdy yet easy to use because it was the only joint connecting the footboard to the steering. The strength of the footboard was also a problem. Because of the large triangle board shape, the center hinged seam wanted to collapse. Adding more surface area to the seam helped with this issue.
