Throwing technology at everything isn’t always the best idea. While a high-tech baby pushchair does sound whack, the Origami Stroller makes a strong case for one.
Designed by 4Moms, the contraption takes strollers where no baby buggy has gone before, fitted with a ton of capabilities intended to make life easy while you take your spawn around town. Plus, it’s hella cool too. Watch other parents stick out their tongues drooling (okay, maybe just look on amused) when you begin showing off its nifty, little talents.
“It’s cool to watch. Like stop traffic cool.” The creators are referring, of course, to the Origami’s power-assisted, self-folding feature. One push of a button and the full-sized stroller bundles up into a compact package – one that can fit in your backpack – all on its own. Hit the same dial and it blows back up.
Well, how does it manage that? The pushchair comes with a motorized system that helps it perform the deed, drawing power from an onboard battery unit. You need not even bother about charging the battery at night (although you can), since it comes with a built-in generator that creates power using kinetic energy, pushing trickles while you take your child around. They claim it can fully charge after 300 feet of strolling.
The goodies don’t even end there. The Origami also comes with a built-in LCD dashboard, which shows information such as battery levels, total distance you’ve walked and whether the stroller is occupied (just in case baby likes to sneak out without you knowing). It also has options for speakers, running lights, a mobile phone adapter (so you can charge in case your mobile runs out of power) and numerous non-tech accessories (such as cup holders, adapter bars for infant car seats, bassinets and pull wheels).
Before all those added options, the Origami Stroller weighs a manageable 22 lbs, which isn’t bad. Just be careful loading all those accessories, though – you might end up pushing more heft than you bargained for. It’s slated for availability in the Spring of 2010.