Often, we hear complaints of able-bodied passengers occupying priority seats on on public buses and MRT trains.

Such inconsiderate behaviour irks Muhammad Naufal Abdul Ghani.

“I’ve witnessed these incidents on numerous occasions and wondered what I can do to help, especially the elderly” said Muhammad Naufal.

So when he was given the brief “To design for the new old” for his graduation project, Muhammad Naufal was inspired to create a special chair for such passengers.

He created the “SMaRT Chair” – specially designed for senior citizens on the MRT. It is an automated foldable seat equipped with an EZ-Link card reader. It is activated by tapping a Senior Citizens’ Concession card.

The seats, placed near the train doors for easy access, fold up when not in use.

“I did some research on the internet and went on-site to take the actual measurements on the trains. I also had some advice from my mum who is a nurse at the Thomson Medical Centre. She gave me some tips on how to design

a chair that is not only convenient but also comfortable and safe for elderly passengers,” he said.

Muhammad Naufal’s “SMaRT Chair” is more suitable for the newer SMRT trains which have limited seats. He hopes that the train operator will consider introducing his “SMaRT Chair” on their trains.

 Muhammad Naufal who is planning to study Industrial Design in NUS after his National Service, had his “SMaRT Chair” displayed at “Unit09”.

“Unit09” is the Annual Graduation Show of Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Design, which was held this year at the National Library from 12 to 15 March.