Amir Afshar

AMBL (MA/MSC INNOVATION DESIGN ENGINEERING, 2019)

Mobility aids are currently static and standardised. Their designs haven't evolved over the years to address improving mobility, but rather force the body to overcompensate elsewhere, simply furthering deterioration. 

The Assistive Mobility Bioelectronic Layer uses muscle sensing and actuation embedded into a comfortable garment and explores how the body could be leveraged to help itself recover.  

AMBL supports and offloads weight from the knee when walking by using electromyography and electronic muscle stimulation to create customisable dynamic support. 

SPACES AVAILABLE (MA ARCHITECTURE, 2017)

Throughout history, the form of our streets have been shaped by our modes of transportation. Starting first with the introduction of the horse and cart, then the motor car,  the spatial properties of our surroundings have been crafted to accommodate these advancing technologies. Today, most streets are lined with parked cars that spend around 96 per cent of their time unused. Traffic signals, congestion zones and fines aim to limit the effects of the car on the city, yet the vehicle centric cities of today offer little respite for the pedestrian. The modernists became obsessed with trying to separate the two, but with few effective propositions. With congestion and infrastructure ever increasing, the street is no longer an enjoyable place to be.

On the horizon however, the prospect of autonomous vehicles promises to change all of this – to offer a new model that will change the way we live. Their accuracy means the narrowing of lane sizes, while their autonomy eradicates the need for parking. Suddenly as space is freed up, the city has the opportunity to reclaim this prime real estate once reserved for the motor car.