A view of a Smart Bench installed at Aspire Park.
Aspire Zone Foundation and Doha Technology, member of CTBA Group, introduced the first smart benches in Qatar. This is the next step in turning Aspire Park into a “smart park” with the world’s smartest benches using renewable energy and advanced technology.
The whole project is in compliance with Qatar National Vision 2030. The Chairman of the CTBA Group, Mario Lozančić has over 10 years of experience on landmark projects here in Qatar and he believes that cooperation with Aspire Zone Foundation will contribute in making entire Doha a smart city. The benches were produced by the Croatian company Include, a world leader in smart bench innovations.
The bench hides a wireless charger for advanced mobile devices (Samsung S6 model and newer, iPhone 8 and newer) – integrated into acrylic glass cover – while also offering two regular USB ports, together with a Wi-Fi access point. Pedestrians/users can charge their phones and connect on superfast internet, use it for social networks, local news etc. The bench provides LED night light and makes space around it more visible.
It also has an integrated cooling system which means that the seating cover stays cool even during the hot summer days. Every 30 minutes a number of different sensors – for humidity, air quality or temperature sensors – collect information on the main controller which then sends them to the servers.
The bench model “Steora Urban” which is placed in Aspire Park is the world’s first street bench with a built-in 19-inch IPS LCD screen. Since it combines solar power and AC grid power, it is a perfect fit for low-light locations and indoors. The LCD display can be used for showing city news, notifications, pictures or other information to the public.
The CTBA Group is a corporation involved in various commercial ventures around the world. Having offices in Qatar, Croatia, and other GCC countries, its ventures are grouped in four segments - Construction, Technology, Business, and Architecture.
