Boston announced Friday that several of its parks will soon be outfitted with solar-powered benches that have the ability to charge visitors' cellphones.
The high-tech benches are being built through a partnership between the city and Changing Environments, a Verizon Innovation program and spinoff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab.
While visitors have to bring their own cables for plugging in the phone, a USB outlet will be provided in the benches, called "Soofas". The benches can also collect and share data such as information on location, data on noise levels and air quality.
"Your cell phone doesn't just make phone calls, why should our benches just be seats?" said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "We are fortunate to have talented entrepreneurs and makers in Boston thinking creativity about sustainability and the next generation of amenities for our residents."
The Soofa was introduced last week in Washington D.C. at the White House Maker Faire, an event that focuses on the work of entrepreneurs and innovators, according to Fortune.
Over the next week, Boston will begin placing the benches in a variety of green spaces, which include the Boston Common, Titus Sparrow Park in South End and the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Funding for the first benches in the city will be provided by Cisco Systems.
The Soofa is not the first smart seat to be developed in Boston, The Daily Mail reported. The city previously partnered with MIT Media Lab and Changing Environments to create Seat-e, a device similar to the new benches.
"We're delighted to continue the Greenway's partnership with New Urban Mechanics and the MIT Media Lab," said Jesse Brackenbury, executive director of the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy. "The Soofa will allow visitors and their phones to enjoy the sun on the Greenway."
Changing Environments is able to provide wireless connection to the Internet in its benches through Verizon's 4G LTE network. This connection also allows the startup to upload location-based information about the environment, Fortune reported.
"Soofa is the first step into Smart Urban Furniture. The possibilities to update the city for the mobile generation are endless and long overdue," said Sandra Richter, co-founder and CEO of Changing Environments. "So are more female-lead startups which is why we hope to be a roll-model for women all over the world to found cool companies like Nan Zhao, Jutta Friedrichs and I did."
