Vic Park sets benchmark for tech revolution

By Abbie Major Solar-powered park benches are set to revolutionise Perth’s café strips after the successful installation of WA’s first smart bench. Located opposite coffee shop Antz Inya Pantz’ HQ in East Victoria Park, Perth’s first smart-bench brings innovation and creativity to the Albany Highway café strip. It’s the first smart-bench in WA – and won’t be last, with Perth suppliers hinting at the expansion of the project. General manager of CleanAir, the distributor of the WA Steora Smart Bench, Ivan Lozic said the high-tech bench had received positive accolades after being installed in May this year. “We are now in discussions with other councils and private entities all over Perth to bring our Steora benches into additional café strips,” Mr Lozic told The Bounce. Town of Victoria Park deputy mayor Brian Oliver said pedestrians could charge devices using USB ports, a wireless charging station and connect to the city’s wi-fi access. “The bench provides a place for people to rest and has the added bonus of being a functional piece of furniture that promotes sustainable energy sources,” Mr Oliver said. The council is continuing to measure the bench’s popularity but Mr Lozic said that there are no concerns that residents will turn the technology away. “CleanAir is providing a service for a demand that hasn’t quite been met in Western Australia yet,” Mr Lozic said. East Victoria Park resident Shane Tapper, 21, said the smart bench was hugely beneficial. “I just think there is so much negative talk about how people in our age demographic are staying indoors and using our phones too much, well this flashy bench is providing us with the best of both worlds,” Mr Tapper said. “I can now take Snapchats and Instagram’s and not worry about my phone dying – because you know if we went to a café and didn’t take a photo of our food, did we actually go,” Mr Tapper said.