If you like to walk around with the baby, you may find getting around a busy city with a stroller can get tough with stairs, large curbs, etc. Fellow team members of MIT's Sloan School of Management watched a video of one of their team members struggling to navigate the stairs of a New York City subway with a stroller.
From there the BuzzyBaby was born. MSNBC.com wrote that a group of students from MIT and the Rhode Island School of Design developed a infant carrier (such as the Baby Bjorn) that has the ability to shift the baby to one hip while the free hand carries the stroller up a stair case or a across a busy street. But, unlike other slings, the BuzzyBaby harness system buckles onto the stroller to safely roll along the baby, giving the parents back and arms a rest until the next flight of stairs.
According to their Facebook page (their website is under construction) they describe the BuzzyBaby as "The world's first integrated modular child carrier system specifically designed to help urban parents navigate stairs with a stroller and a child! BuzzyBaby is the only modularly integrated child carrier and stroller system specifically optimized for commuting via public transportation, particularly metro rail systems."
They also add "Our super awesome team of industrial designers, engineers and business students from MIT and the Rhode Island School of Design has developed a remarkable integrated stroller + child carrier system optimized for managing stairs, escalators, turnstiles, crowds, and other challenges intrinsic to commuting via public transportation. We are current (and future!) parents passionate about liberating parents and caregivers to travel safely and conveniently in urban settings."
They also add "Our super awesome team of industrial designers, engineers and business students from MIT and the Rhode Island School of Design has developed a remarkable integrated stroller + child carrier system optimized for managing stairs, escalators, turnstiles, crowds, and other challenges intrinsic to commuting via public transportation. We are current (and future!) parents passionate about liberating parents and caregivers to travel safely and conveniently in urban settings."
According to research performed by the team, 77 percent of 400 mothers surveyed would find the system useful. Apparently, this feedback was encouraging enough to turn their idea into a business. The team plans to start selling their BuzzyBaby in spring 2013.
This is very cool--and incredibly useful! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI will have to look for that. However, I am not picturing how it helps you on the stairs better. Coming to you from the Finding new Friends Blog Hop.
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