ryft

A collapsible and portable stool created for everyday use. With the capability of collapsing down to a 1/4th of its footprint.

Problem

A school assignment where we were to demonstrate an understanding of basic physics properties to create a portable and collapsible stool. Personally, I challenged myself to create this without the use of a single hinge.

Opportunity

When hosting for friends in the summer, seating can be an issue if you don't have to space for patio furniture. Opportunity lies in creating a stool that is easy to store and set up, allowing hosts to give their guest seats quickly.

6 Weeks

School Assigment

Easy to Assemble

With elastic running inside the stool with assembles fast and easily with no hardware needed.

Compact

Ryft provides easy to assemble seating for individuals with limited storage looking for casual chairs for nights in with friends.

Function and Aesthetics

Ryft understand the importance of aesthetics and brings it's best foot forward, Visually inspired by traditinal scandinavian design

Development

Ideation and Testing

Once I decided to use fabric as a hinge, one of the primary challenges what coming up with a way to secure the wood to the fabric, in addition to determining which fabric would not stretch or tear. In order to determine the best options, I did a series of small tests.

Duck canvas and epoxy = failed

Polyester and epoxy = failed

RIpstop nylon and gorilla glue/ upholstery nails = Succesful

Scaled preliminary concept models

Foam core
Laser cut
3D printed

using scaled models to help with concept creation, figuring out assembly and eventually creating a crude full-sized model to test the concept

Solution

Design Solution

Ryft is able to take advantage
of the different materials and the use of tension and compressive forces to support any sort of dynamic and or static weight that may be applied to it.

Features

Light

Collapsable

Portable

How it works

A series of elastics that run in the legs and the seat guides the assembly prosses by pulling the legs into their respective slots. This elastic also pulls the rope into the legs when the stool is disassembled.