Spike
Spike is an integrated bicycle rental system designed and realised to promote and simplify the perception of its operation.
The purchasing company will manage the safety, maintenance, cleaning and income derived from the interaction of people with the system. Payment is made directly through a “mute trade”, automatic cashiers, credit cards and subscriptions with the customers loyalty recognized through their own personal Smart-Card. The project includes readers with RFID technology controlled by a central server.
The design idea was born from a futuristic vision of the 100 cities analyzed, in which the use of cars is predicted to decrease over time. The start-up scenario of the project are the nodal areas, meaning those public places managed by private individuals, transit areas for thousands of people.
The form of the product arises from the study and analysis of these areas, from the dimensions of space, time and speed, key concepts in relation to the passage and the user. The colors red and green within the product have been used to increase the objective perception of the functioning and the icons as a contemporary language.
The materials of the product have been selected based on the product’s need of being in open areas, but above all they are chosen for their low environmental impact and recyclability. The ethics of encouraging the use of bicycles instead of cars and the related objective of lowering of CO2 emissions is the core reason for the spread of Spike.
The project was published in some industrial design newspapers and some images were selected for a promotional video at the Italian pavilion for the Shanghai 2010 universal exhibition.