The team demonstrated exceptional flexibility, efficiently transitioning from conceptualization to the creation of manufacturable designs. The collaborative effort extended to engaging with factory contacts, ensuring seamless production processes.
This product was developed as a street-safe station for
managing HOPR’s bike and scooter rideshare fleet in Rochester,
NY. The modular design allows the station to be properly
anchored and provides compatibility for varying numbers of
bikes, scooter, signage. This product was designed and
optimized for economic steel fabrication. Our team developed
the product concept, 3D CAD models, and production files. We
worked closely with the production partner to accommodate
their capabilities.
HOPR reached out to Emergnt in March of 2021 with a need for a
new docking station for their upcoming launch in Rochester, NY.
Unlike their current stations, the new product would need to accommodate
traditional bicycles, e-bikes, and scooters.
We met with HOPR’s leadership to identify the basic requirements for the new project. We learned that HOPR wanted to develop a station that meets these criteria:
Provides docking for Bikes and Scooters.
From these requirements, our Concept Design team developed a unique vision for the product involving steel barstock formed into a stadium-shaped “hoop”. Uniform baseplates- connected in series – support either taller “scooter hoops” or shorter “bicycle hoops”. The scooter hoops featured a plastic bay within which the scooter’s steering column could rest, while the bicycle hoops could surround the bike’s rear wheel and provide a column for the bike lock. A half-length base plate would support a sign.
With Concept Design approved by the client, the project proceeded into Emergnt’s virtual CAD Lab for detailed 3D CAD Modeling. Emergnt worked with HOPR to collect data about their vehicle fleet and carefully design the new station for seamless integration with the bikes and scooters.
Our Mechanical Engineers developed unique solutions to the challenges presented by design. These challenges included stability, modularity, intuitive usability, and signage.
With initial designs completed just weeks after the project kickoff, Emergnt continued to support the project by providing Production Sourcing and Support. Our team sourced production partners for every component and worked closely with those partners to accommodate their capability and ensure low production costs.
The city of Rochester requested that we maximize space
efficiency of the station and preserve sidewalk real-estate. A
sufficiently wide base plate was spec’d to counter the innate
tippability of the tall racks. To minimize the effect of this
design choice on the station’s footprint, a compound,
eccentric wheel cutout was developed. This geometry positioned
the long bicycles to completely engulf the footprint of the
baseplate, maximizing sidewalk space while ensuring the
station stood securely.
A ramp feature was added to the baseplate to ensure users intuitively
park their vehicles in the correct direction. The baseplates utilized
a simple welded tongue to connect in series. Male and Female “end
caps” were designed to terminate a series and keep debris from
slipping underneath the plates. A sign was designed to match the
aesthetic of the “hoops” along with a half-length baseplate to
support it. The sign was design to be rotated on a central screw
to multiple orientations, maximizing visibility in different urban
locations.
The team demonstrated exceptional flexibility, efficiently transitioning from conceptualization to the creation of manufacturable designs. The collaborative effort extended to engaging with factory contacts, ensuring seamless production processes.
They met all the challenges along the way, and the result is a great example of how design and function can live in harmony.
The most impressive thing about this company is their ability to rapidly iterate product changes as well as create a seamless production package that I am able to send straight to the factory without having to try to translate it all.
