Aspire Zone first to introduce smart benches in GCC region

Aspire Zone Foundation and Doha Technology (a member of CTBA Group) have introduced the first smart benches in Qatar and the entire GCC region, the latter announced on Thursday.

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, it was explained in a statement.

The CTBA Group chairman Mario Lozan?i? believes that co-operation 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.

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 statement added.