FLATPACK
Modular Bike/ Bike Design
Client: Confidential Work: Industrial design, Product Architecture, 3D visualisation: Year: 2019-20
Urban mobility and transportation is an industry that is always upgrading to the latest technologies in both product features and manufacturing. The energy and materials required in manufacturing including the various tooling components is huge. So the question was " can we figure out a simple to use material with a single reversible mold to create various structural combinations"
Design for Urban Mobility
One of the biggest problems that companies face right now, is the inability of the bicycle to address various consumer usage scenarios, for urban consumers. Transportation or last mile connectivity are just some of the problems. High manufacturing costs, inventory and shipping costs render any innovation in this segment useless, not to mention a safe environment friendly version. We set out to change that with Flatpack. Buying or using a product that is not sustainable and discarding it again to upgrade to another is extremely wasteful. What if there was a way to continue using a product which could be augmented with new tech, materials, parts etc that could be utilised to build a better product every time you upgraded. To design one, a clear product architecture had to be imagined from the start.
Frame Variation
The challenge was to figure out a way to keep the frame as the main component around which all the functions are adaptable. The main frame is moulded out of paper pulp which renders an unbelievable amount of strength while keeping the costs down and also entirely biodegradable. The dual frame design is the same part flipped opposite to provide strength and support. The idea was to create a single frame mould that could be reused to strengthen the midsection and also provide a variety of options in terms of functionality by switching the orientation or position of the frame. Hence the majority of the refinement was in this direction to create either a combination of the same frame with repeatability built in or to use a singular continuous frame.
Strength in numbers
Another instance of the frame is added here to create a unique structure which not only provides a strong frame but also a fresh new aesthetic and a modular foundation for various accessories and attachments.
