The City of Cambridge installs smart, eco-friendly urban furniture: Soofa Benches

CAMBRIDGE - 06/04/2015  Soofa is pleased to announce the installation of reinvented benches in a variety of locations across the City of Cambridge. The twist: the benches are solar-powered and they can charge your cell phone. The so-called “Soofa Bench,” can charge small electronic devices via USB and powers a suite of environmental sensors developed by the female-led MIT startup Soofa.

Soofa Bench installation locations were chosen to best provide services in high foot-traffic areas ranging from bus stops to parks to storefronts. People will be able to enjoy the outdoors and charge their mobile devices in Central Square, Harvard Square, Fresh Pond, and Danehy Park, among many other locations. Popular ice cream shop Toscanini has also sponsored a Bench, so customers may enjoy their ice cream outside while staying connected and charged.

“We saw the amazing public engagement towards the Soofa Benches in Boston and at the White House Maker Faire last year,” says Sandra Richter, founder and CEO of Soofa. “We decided to bring the idea to our hometown of Cambridge.”

Soofa Benches are installed around Boston, and will also be rolling out in Los Angeles, Austin, Cambridge and Miami this summer through the Early Adopter Program. “We are excited to be part of the Early Adopter Program this year and hope this smart urban furniture will benefit the people living, working, and play in Cambridge.” said Acting Assistant City Manager of Community Development Iram Farooq. 

About Soofa: 
Soofa is committed to reinvent overlooked but ubiquitous city infrastructure, like benches. It was founded by a team of female engineers and designers from Harvard and MIT and leads the smart city applications space. Their most recent product, the Soofa Bench was piloted with the City of Boston in 2014. Based on the product’s success, 5 major U.S. cities have adopted the technology. Soofa makes the city of tomorrow, today. Visit www.soofa.co