Have you enjoyed wandering around a city, only to suddenly realize that your phone is running out of juice?  Did you let it roam continuously looking for WiFi or seeking to pair with anything via Bluetooth?  Were you inspired to take a hundred photos?  Did you forget your portable charger, or forget to charge the portable charger?  No matter the reason, once the battery icon has turned red your heart seems to race a little as you wonder if you have enough to use a ride share app to get back to home base.

I’m here to say – just relax!  Go sit on a bench.

That’s right.  Find a smart bench, that uses solar power and has multiple ways to charge your phone.  IT IS SO COOL! (And it has WiFi??!)

The first ones I’ve seen on my travels are right here in Split, Croatia.  And it turns out that this is where the product was originally invented, by a local young man.  (By young I mean 19 years old!)  A few years and investors later and he has a manufacturing plant just outside of the city with 35 employees focusing on smart street furniture.  They have received various start-up awards.  And they recently launched a second product which has a bike rack, a way to charge an electric bike, and a bike repair kit.  Again, so cool!

His name is Ivan Mrvos, and the company is called Include.

Their website says there are more than 1,100 benches in 46 markets around the world.  Bookmark this link to see all of the locations globally so far, and the one nearest you!

<https://www.include.eu/location_map>