Design Idea - CoBike

Cooperation is still the main theme of my project. The idea for a bicycle came from watching some videos about children playing. Autistic children did not interact but were completely absorbed in their own play, while the other children would get involved in eachother's activities. Cooperative play that requires communication, negotiation and decision making, may be able to teach important social skills. Social awareness begins to develop from two year of age, which is also the age when tricycles are being used. Tricycles also improve spatial awareness and provide a good foundation for learning riding the bicycle. Therefore I have designed the CoBike tricycle for the 2 - 4 age group. This bike can be ridden by two children. Through alternate pedal pushing and joint steering, they must communicate and cooperate in order to successfully ride this tricycle. Whether cooperative toys work or not in the improvement of social skill is purely a theoretical speculation on my side as I have no specific research on the subject. However, it is evident that children do prefer to play together and seem to learn through playing. I further speculate that the act of physical cooperation becomes a part of the children's subconscious mind. I would like the opportunity to try this theory on all children and especially those on the autistic spectrum. The illustration shows the design. The CoBike has wide seat to accommodate two children as well as wide pedals to fit both feet. The CoBike has not been built, only the sketches and this model drawing exists at present and I am working on a scale model a present.
(sorry for the following disclosure but there are people out there who "didn't know" this;) The concept idea is registered and in part the property of UL Goldsmiths College. Illegal copying the idea will result in legal action.