As a parent, carrying a child, a diaper bag, and who knows what else, the last thing needed is to struggle setting up or putting away a stroller. We collaborated with our client to design and implement early prototypes and concepts for the world's first power-folding stroller.
We first helped design a proof-of-concept prototype from an off-the-shelf manually folding stroller. We stripped the stroller to the frame and rebuilt it with custom-designed pieces, integrating motors and sensors into its pre-existing folding mechanics. This allowed the stroller to automatically fold up or expand at the touch of a button. Using modern rapid prototyping techniques and old-fashioned sewing, our team quickly created aesthetically appealing and functional parts for use in the assembly and testing of this concept. As a proof-of-concept, this stroller helped our client receive critical funding and further a partnership with a major juvenile products manufacturer. We were then able to move in an entirely new direction unencumbered by the "scissor-fold" mechanism of an ordinary stroller because motors and sensors could handle a more complex fold than a human operator. The unconventional fold we developed promised, and eventually delivered, a lighter weight, more visually appealing, and significantly more compact-folding stroller than would otherwise have been possible. In addition to the design and prototyping of the stroller, we also conducted form studies, color studies, and semantic exercises centered on the look and feel of the stroller, and conducted competitor analyses of the myriad strollers available in the U.S. market and around the globe. Borrowing a term of art from the automotive industry, our goal was to create a unique "down-road graphic" so that the stroller would stand out when seen from a distance.