Description

The Flipo bench will be just like any regular outdoor bench, but it will serve more than just a bench. It also can

be used in any weather condition throughout the year.

The Flipo bench will have a rotating backrest and butt rest. The

backrest and butt rest each have two sides. After a rainy day when

the exposed sides of the backrest and butt rest get wet, their

opposite sides can be used by rotating them. This allows you to

use their dry sides which were not affected by the rain. The

rotation process will not be tedious since you only have to press

buttons for the rotation to occur. The rotating feature of the Flipo

bench will not only help to minimize the chances of you sitting on

a wet bench, but it will also add flexibility in sitting adjustments,

since both the butt rest and the back rest, could be tilted at a degree that

suits you best.

Aside from the inconvenience caused by rain, most people would like to sit outside, using their electronic

gadgets while enjoying the breeze but this comes with a compromise for them. These gadgets usually do not

have long battery hours. People who want to use their gadget outside either must carry a full charged device or

possibly not go out at all due to the unavailability of charging slots. According to a survey we took, over ninety

percent of benches outdoor did not have any electric sockets. Also over sixty percent of people we interviewed

said that they would have gone outdoors more often if they had charging slots available for their devices

outdoors. The result of our survey proved that most people are not willing to put up with this compromise which

is sacrificing the gadget hours to enjoy the breeze outside. We totally get them. This is the 21st century and

everything we do literally involves technology. The Flipo bench solves this problem by having two electric

sockets situated under each armrest. The Flipo bench will, therefore, allow people as such enjoy the outside

scenery whiles being able to use the gadgets without worry about a low battery.

Fig 1. Image of a completely assembled and Labelled Flipo Bench

How will it be installed

The Flipo bench will use electricity to power up its power supply sockets. It will also use electricity for the

rotation of both the butt rest and the backrest. Before installing the Flipo bench, a little trench will have to be

dug through the floor. This trench will serve as a

passage for the electrical wires which will be

connecting the Flipo bench to the national grid

outdoor. Also, a large but short rectangular metal

slab will be erected vertically behind the Flipo

bench. This slab will serve as a rain guard hence,

minimize the rate at which rainwater would wet the

opposite unused side of the backrest and buttrest

incase the rain falls at certain angles.

Fig 2. Image of a Flipo Bench with a vertical rain guard behind it

Fig 3. Image illustrating how the rain guard helps to reduce the amount of water touching the unused side of the back rest.

Fig 4. Image illustrating how wet the unused side of the back-rest can get in the absence of a rain guard

Attempts made to solve the Problem.

Before we thought of the Flipo

bench, we did do a little

research on current benches

which tried to solve the problem

mentioned in the description.

We found only one type of

bench that sought to address the

rain water issue. This bench was

designed by a Japanese designer

called Sung Woo Park. Unfortunately, his bench only solved the problem partially and also, its design was

uncomfortable. First of all, the bench's dry side

could always get wet if it rained at certain angles.

This bench only solves the problem when rain falls on

it only perpendicularly.

The bench also has to be rotated manually. This

could be very tedious if the bench is not lubricated

often. The bench had no back rest and also, the butt

rest was made of wood. The wood part is not the

best as weather stress would cause damage to the

wood within a short time.

Fig 5. Image of the bench designed by Sung Woo Park

Fig 6. Image depicting how Sung’s bench becomes useless when it rains at a certain angle

Why is the Flipo bench is needed?

A typical classic outdoor bench is very static. Most of these

benches are made of materials such as wood, concrete, and

metals such as iron. These materials although cheap are not

durable and have a very short lifespan. For example, no

matter how well wood is treated it will never be the best for outdoor

usage because of its low resistance to weather stress. Also, outdoor

benches that use concrete end up have a lot of algae and fungi growing

on them. Iron which is very strong easily rusts when exposed to

humidity. The Flipo-

bench will have many

advantages over the

regular benches which

are used currently. Some the major benefits the Flipo bench will

offer are durability and more comfortability. The Flipo bench will

be made of durable materials such as stainless steel and plastic.

Stainless steel is a metal which can withstand rust and harsh weather conditions without showing any sign of

deterioration. It also has a very high tensile strength. This means it can hold enormous weights without having

any defects such as bending or breaking apart. The backrest and butt rest will be made of steel coated with

plastic. The stainless steel Framework of the Flipo bench might be coated with a plastic coating just give it a

nice woody design. This may depend on our costumer's needs. Apart from the materials the Flipo bench uses,

the Flipo bench will also have additional features such as an electric socket which could be used to charge our

daily handheld devices. Also, the Flipo bench could be adjusted to some degree to provide comfortability. Due

to the materials which will be used for the Flipo bench, it might last up to 30 years without any maintenance and

Fig 7. Image of a regular outdoor bench

Fig 8. Image showing how less resistant wood is to severe weather conditions even when it has been treated with a coating finish

Fig 9. Concrete and wood bench in bad condition

forever with maintenance. As you can see the Flipo bench has a lot more to offer than what the average outdoor

bench offers in terms of life span and additional features.

Budget

The cost of the Flipo bench is almost the same as the cost of an average outdoor bench if not, a little higher. To

construct the Flipo bench, about twenty pieces of plank steel and ten round rods of stainless steels will be used.

The electric components of the Flipo bench cost about $500. Also, the plastic coating finish would cost about

$100. Last but not the least, the workers whom will install the Flipo bench will be given no more than $1000 as

workmanship fee. Since the Flipo bench uses electricity, there is the need for permission to be sought from the

nearest power companies in order for them to supply electric power lines where the Flipo benches would be

installed. Most public parks and recreational centres already have street lights and maybe traffic lights around

them, since the Flipo bench will be used mainly in public parks (outdoors), accessibility to these power lines

should be easy.

Stainless Steel

(rod, Framework, slab)

300kg $ 765.00

Plastic coating 1 gallon $ 50.00

Electric motor 4 pieces $300.00

Operation button mother board 2 pieces $100.00

Electric wire (cooper) 20 feet $65.00

Workmanship $ 1000.00

The technical aspects of how the Flipo bench will be constructed and how it works.

The Flipo bench would support at least two people. It has a rigid metal framework. The backrest and the butt

rest of the Flipo bench can all be rotated or

inclined to any angle. Electricity will be

supplied to the Flipo Bench through its electric

cable which is located at the tip of the seat

metal framework that makes contact with the

ground. Each back rest cavity and butt rest will

have an electric rotating motor which will be

connected to a rotating rod.

There are two pairs of operation buttons on

each arm rest. The operation buttons are

covered with plastic/rubber hence water can never enter it. When the buttons are pressed the motor rotates. This

rotation causes the rotation rod also to turn, the rotating rod, as a result, turns the backrest or butt rest depending

on the type of button pressed. The armrest has written labels which

indicate which pair of the buttons is to be used to control either the

backrest or the butt rest. The backrest and butt rest will be made of

steel coated with plastic. Just beneath

the arm rest are electrical slots. The

slots will supply a voltage of 120

volts and a current of 1 to 7 amps.

These slots can be used to power or

charge devices such as mobile

phones, laptops, and tablets. As a

precaution, the electric slots have been enclosed with plastic strips. These

stripes add more waterproofing to the slots.

Fig 10. Image of the Frame work of the Flipo bench illustrating the Flipo bench’s core parts

Fig 11. Image showing the operation buttons on the arm rest of the Flipo bench

Fig 12. Image showing the electric sockets which are located under the armrest of the Flipo bench

Since the butt rest is horizontal and rainwater

might collect in the centre of it, microtubes will

be made around its edge such that the water

collected will be channeled through the

microtubes to the ground. To even speed up the

rate of water flow the center of the butt rest will

be titled at a small angle. This will aid a faster

flow of the water thus, preventing water from

being collected on the butt rest.

Fig13. Image showing the micro tubes around the edges of the butt rest

Fig 14. Different view angle of the Flipo bench and it main core parts

Fig 15. Different viewing angle of a fully assembled Flipo bench