Case Study 02 · Inclusive Design · Winner, Hyundai Design for Dignity

Orthos-Adapt

Any public bench, turned into a seat that holds you. It locks in place the moment a child sits down, so children with cerebral palsy can sit upright and steady wherever the city takes them.

Orthos-Adapt seat in use on a metal park bench
1st Place · Hyundai Design for Dignity Challenge
Team
Vedant Kabra & Jay Parmar
Award
1st Place, Hyundai Design for Dignity
Users
Children with CP, amputees
Size
420 × 400 × 255 mm

1st

Award · 2026

Winner, Hyundai Design for Dignity Challenge

Chosen by the jury from entries across design and architecture schools for redefining public seating through active posture.

The Problem

Every bench assumes a strong core

For a child with cerebral palsy, a flat bench is hard work. Without lateral support they lean and slide, and holding themselves up takes constant muscle effort. A sudden jerk in a moving vehicle can set off spasms.

Today's adaptive seats solve this at home, but they're bulky, rely on straps and buckles that need fine hand control, and look like medical equipment in a park or a classroom.

The gap

Support that's light enough to carry every day, fits any public seat, and works without anyone's help.

Child strapped into a padded positioning seat on a park bench
Positioning seat: supportive, but bulky and strapped in.
Portable adaptive seat with a frame, back pad and buckled straps
Portable adaptive seat: buckles need fine hand control.

Active Posture

Holding the body, so the child doesn’t have to

The contoured back and sides give the body a physical reference. They guide the pelvis, stop sideways sliding, and let the child keep an upright posture with less effort.

Diagram: how the contoured seat guides the pelvis, prevents sideways sliding and encourages upright posture, compared with sitting without lateral support
Without lateral support the body leans and slides. With it, the child stays centred with less muscle effort.

Form Exploration

Gear, not equipment

We explored geometry, back support, seating blocks, handles, bases and textures, searching for a form a child would be proud to carry: everyday gear, not a medical aid.

Sketch sheet: form, geometry, back support, central element, handle, base, silhouette and material explorations leading to the final direction
From form and silhouette studies to the final direction: a low shell, integrated handle and raised central block.
Orthos-Adapt logo: a blue U-shaped seat around an orange block

Identity

The logo is the seat seen from above: a blue shell wrapped around a bright orange core, like open arms around a child. It is support that holds without restraining. The open top matters just as much. There is always a way out, because dignity means being supported, never trapped.

Construction

Locks the moment you sit

Exploded view poster: raised seating block, top shell, weight-activated clamp, bottom shell and anti-slip pads, with key features and colour options

Five parts, no electronics. The key is the clamp between the shells: sitting down is the only action needed to lock it.

  1. 01
    Raised seating blockPositions the child and gives tactile feedback. Orange, so it's easy to find.
  2. 02
    Top shellDurable UV-stabilised plastic with rounded, soft edges.
  3. 03
    Weight-activated clampLocks under body weight. No twisting, buckling or fine finger movements, and it stays locked through sudden jerks.
  4. 04
    Bottom shellReinforced for strength while staying light.
  5. 05
    Anti-slip padsHigh-friction pads that stop the seat creeping forward on steel, wood or wet surfaces.
Underside of the seat showing the grid of orange anti-slip pads, with a close-up of one textured pad
Underside: a grid of textured, high-friction pads.

CAD

Engineered to the millimetre

CAD model of Orthos-Adapt in three-quarter view
CAD model, front view
CAD model, angled side view
CAD model from above, showing the seating block and handle
Technical drawing with front, side, top and isometric views; overall 420 by 400 by 254.77 millimetres

The final seat measures 420 × 400 × 255 mm: wide enough to support the hips, small enough for a child to carry by its integrated handle.

Final Design

Same independence, more places to belong

Showcase film: carry, place, sit, go.

In the film, a child carries the seat across a busy public space, drops it onto a steel bench and sits down. The same clamp works on a bus, a car or any vehicle seat with an edge to grip. Nobody helps set it up, and nothing needs adjusting.

It is designed for the three places children spend their days outside home: schools, parks and public transport.

Orthos-Adapt in use on a park bench, front view
Orthos-Adapt in use, side view showing the contoured back
Orthos-Adapt resting on an empty park bench
Orthos-Adapt carried by its integrated handle

What's Next

Testing with the people it's for

The next step is testing with children with cerebral palsy, their families and physiotherapists, and checking the clamp across the real range of seat edges: bus and vehicle seats, school chairs and slatted park benches.

The biggest lesson was about dignity. Accessibility is usually built into places, and places are slow to change. Designing something a child carries with them puts that independence in their hands.

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