Summary
Soofa's mission is to update the urban context for a mobile world by developing technology to help urban dwellers take the pulse of their city, in real time. They have developed a connected bench and a sensor platform for data analysis and insights to improve public spaces, enabling applications including street level activity monitoring, event attendance or pedestrian traffic in multiple locations across a community.
Problem
In the digital era, cities and local businesses are struggling to engage and connect to their local communities but the ability to attract a critical number of users may influence the survival of local businesses. Moreover, with the rising cost of real estate - now more than ever cities need to identify optimal ways to measure the success of capital improvement projects, real estate development, and properly plan public space programming strategies. This challenge of activating neighborhood spaces and sidewalks and creating new marketing channels is exactly what Soofa wanted to solve.
Solution
Soofa, a spin-off of MIT Media Lab, designs, develops, and operates smart city infrastructure with clear ROI for municipalities and a streamlined deployment process. The solar-powered Soofa Bench charges phones and monitors its environment, and Soofa sign provides municipalities, citizens, and local businesses with a platform for real-time, contextual information and advertising. Coupled with Soofa Pro, a sensor platform for data analysis and insights to improve public spaces, Soofa enables applications including street level activity monitoring, event attendance or pedestrian traffic in multiple locations across a community.