One of my first projects was derived from the observation that while travelling by train, people hardly have eye for their fellow travellers. I’d observed that mostly everyone was sucked into their own reality through their mobile phones. This isolation is nothing new, people used to isolate using a book or a newspaper. But what happens then, when your phone dies? And you are suddenly confronted with this unique behaviour. Start a conversation with the person next to you? I think not. That would be awkward, right? In observing these situations where people really just want to charge their phone, I’ve found that humans also need to charge. Not just a good sleep but socially.

So I’ve redesigned an existing couch in NS trains to facilitate interactions, removing the awkwardness around saying hi to a fellow passenger. The couch has wireless charges integrated in its cushions that only activate when it senses there’s a conversation happening. This way you can charge your phone while also charging yourself.

The couch has a wide scala of topics written all over itself, to help kickstart your conversation. Just like there is a ‘stilte coupe’ or a quiet area on board, there now is a place where you get to meet interesting figures from around the country.