It serves as a mobile touch-down station for occasional short tasks:

• Filling out forms
• Checking data, browsing the net, email or a magazine
• Taking note while talking on the phone

Functionality and use of design
Thanks to their bike-analogies ScooterDesks are completely self-explaining. From the height adjustable saddle with wing nut, to the handle in the tablet to carry them around.

How did this design improve life?
ScooterDesks improve the ergonomic wellbeing of workers for all possible kinds of activities where occasional sitting and use of a small desk are needed.

When using a ScooterDesk:

• Your back is in optimal position: straight.
• You are stimulated to gently move and change position often:
• You train your ligaments and muscles, and stimulate your circulation and metabolic processes.
• You may have a lot of fun riding to your co-workers.

AREAS OF APPLICATION
ScooterDesks are extremely universal, they have many areas of application:

At the office
Alternate tasks between (static posture) workstations and ScooterDesks to avoid spinal injuries and accommodate the stricter healthcare laws.
Greatly improve interactivity between co-workers; organise instant group-meetings, without leaving for the auditorium.
Improve your freedom to task everywhere, not only at the office, but also at the factory, warehouse, or even outside, wherever you are needed.
Review files at the archive locally, without having to run back and forth with them to your desk.

At home
ScooterDesks are useful as complementary desks for home-workers, small businesses and practices, at places where there are no other writing facilities.
With a ScooterDesk you can take some work into the garden, terrace, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen,... or your children can do their homework on a ScooterDesk-Duo in the kitchen... places where you wish to do some work, but are not facilitated for it.

Semi-public spaces

• Filling out forms at post offices/banks
• Self banking
• 'Laptopping' at the wifi-spot in the airport lounge
• Flipping through a book in the library
• As laptop desks in hotel rooms
• As touch down stations for guards in museums or shops
• Reading magazines in waiting rooms
• At (adult) schools for outside lectures and mini auditoriums
• Outdoor sketching in the park or zoo
• Hostess checking in passengers at the airport
• Doctor doing his rounds in the hospital

TECHNICAL
The ScooterDesks has a simple construction based around 3 metal tubes, a tabletop, a saddle, and wheels.

The elegant construction has sufficient strength for riders up to 100KG, because of some clever engineering.

Thanks to the handle in the tablet the ScooterDesks can be easily wheeled along when not in use; both in normal position, and with the castor in the air. The (easily) height adjustable saddle makes for effortlessly sharing between users. The swivelwheel at the front gives you complete freedom of movement.

ScooterDesk are packed knock-down in boxes of only 36,5x107x14cm, and can be easily assembled by the end-user with the included tools. Therefore it is possible to offer the ScooterDesks for a competitive retail price of only 250€ (incl. VAT). This should stimulate company/corporate buyers to offer their workers/visitors better ergonomics, and brings professional ergonomics to consumers at an affordable price.

ScooterDesks are top quality 100% European made products with solid engineering and (self)replaceable quality parts guarantying value for many generations, resulting in a very long product-lifecycle.

Drawbacks of life improvement
Because of economic compromises the ScooterDesks are made to fit people from 1m45 to 1m75 comfortably. For people longer or shorter a large and small version should be offered.

The weight of users is limited to 100KG (with an extensive security margin) ScooterDesks are for occasional use only, some people like to think of it as desk for permanent use, which it is not. If one does use it for long periods of time, the saddle (just like with any bike) has its disadvantages.

Research and need
The ScooterDesk has been developed over a period of 3 years.
In 2001 I did a project about 'work' at my school, the Designacademy Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Satyendra Pakhale was my tutor, and I was inspired by my Strida(UK) folding bike, and of course my usual suspects back then: Enzo Mari and Achille Castiglioni.

I made a 'take out desk' similar to the current ScooterDesk but collapsible, and without frontcastor.

In 2002 during my internship in London (Inflate design and others) I had an interview at the Royal College of Art, productdesign (By Ron Arad and colleagues) and the desk was reviewed, one tutor opted I could turn it into a Scooter.

I lived in a warehouse with a bunch of creative people (St. Martins College) at the time, and we were constantly dreaming up solutions of how to transform the warehouse into a big working/living studio. From this point of view (home meets office) I intensively started studying the world of office furniture. I dedicated my graduation projects to it. My graduating tutor was a designer for Ahrend, so we got a very vibrant research going soon. Eventually I decided to work out a communal worktable (a low cost JOYN, Vitra). But I would have liked to develop a complete collection.

A week before my graduation show I quickly made a new non-collapsible version of the 'take out desk', a proof of concept. I tested it on the audience and the feedback was wonderful.

I discussed with Ahrend on how to turn this into a marketable product. At this time 'touch down station' was buzzing at the office world, since Bulo had released their Easy Rider, by Danny Venlet (an acquaintence of mine, but we didn't know about each others similar projects then).

After graduation I decided to develop this ScooterDesk by myself.
I started sourcing and making prototypes. A lot of prototypes. Until I got it just right.
I discussed it with many engineers, manufacturers, and fellow designers.
In October 2004 I presented working prototypes at the Orgatec office-furniture fair in Cologne, Germany.

I got good to very positive feedback from all major brand's productdesigners, and purchasers. (even the Bouroullecs liked it!)

After this, in between client work, I have been discussing for quite long and with many brands to supply them ScooterDesks as private label products. So far this had no success, and I decided to slowly start to market the ScooterDesks myself, next to my client work. Now we deliver them from stock to design resellers. And a press launch is planned for the summer.

I am very curious to see how this tale will continue...

Designed by
Jiri Vanmeerbeeck - Belgium