Designer & Engineer
Roo
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Project Title
Project Type
Photography
Date
April 2023
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The Roo
Client
Role
Time
Date
Personal
Project Lead
10 Weeks
June 2023
The Roo parental assistant embodies a sustainable 360-degree life cycle by utilizing ocean-collected fishnet nylon and offering a lease model for mothers. This stroller is designed to be reused, preventing endless production and waste, promoting a circular approach from one home to the next.
New mothers face overwhelming expenses precisely when they should be focusing on nurturing their newborns and adapting to their role. They feel pressured to invest in top-quality products for their child, leading to guilt when financial constraints arise. Strollers, highchairs, bassinets—these purchases accumulate rapidly, only for the baby to outgrow them quickly, resulting in discarded items. As designers, we have a responsibility to help the integration into this new phase of motherhood, supporting mothers to thrive without perpetuating the cycle of excessive spending and waste. This can be achieved through a sustainable, full-circle product methodology and the consolidation of product functionalities into one versatile solution.
Ground into granuals
The Roo is assembled
Nylon Fishnets are pulled from the ocean
Rotationally Molded into frame
A Part of the Family
Sent back and refurbished
Baby grows older
Lease Ends
Lease Starts
Ordered
Full Circle Thinking
Less Financial Stress for Mothers, Less Stress for the Earth
Material
Product
To alleviate the financial strain on new mothers, our product aims to streamline costs and minimize the array of necessary childcare items. We've identified key parental needs—movement, relaxation, sleep, and feeding—and seek engineering solutions that consolidate these functions into a singular, multifunctional product.
To address pricing challenges and the excessive waste tied to early childcare products, our parental assistant, the Roo, embraces a sustainable, full-circle life cycle. Its serviceability is designed to be indefinite, requiring durable materials for longevity. By utilizing recycled nylon sourced from ocean-collected fishnets, we aim to address both maternal stress and environmental impact. Employing a child growth time-based leasing system coupled with easily refurbished components will reduce overall costs for mothers while maximizing the product's lifespan for the company.
Methodolgy
Community
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Platform to Learn
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Mental Support
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Share Knowledge
Assistant
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Multi-Use
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Sensor Based Feedback
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Easily Cleaned
Life Cycle
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Lease System
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Recycled Materials
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Simple Swap for the Next Mom
Enabling mothers to thrive.
To ensure The Roo remains unobtrusive in chair or portable mode, minimizing its presence, a retractable wheel mechanism is designed. Lowering the entire frame to the ground secures The Roo in place. A braided cable, connected to a central axle, operates the wheel's control arm. Pulling the transition lever rotates the upper half downward, spooling the cable onto the central axle. This action raises the wheel's control arm, lowering the frame. A spring restrains the opposing side of the control arm. Releasing the spooled cable by rotating the upper half upward unleashes the spring's potential energy, allowing the wheel to return to its position.
Wheel Retracting Suspension
The homogeneous look of most strollers on the market is no secret—they typically conform to the same form factor with few distinguishing features. Constructed from welded pipes and plastic coverings for aesthetics, these strollers lack individuality. The Roo, however, will break away from this norm. Utilizing rotationally molded nylon granules provides greater flexibility in shaping its form, setting it apart, and making a bold statement. The Roo embodies a revolutionary approach to parental assistance, using a design language that is a true fusion of futurism and bio-design.
Conceptualizing
Overview.
Harmonious, Effective and Unique
Allows for easy washing and storage when using the stroller mode.
Collapsable and Removable Storage
Creates easier handling and ride when out on the road and less space when indoors
Large, Single Swivel Wheel
In chair mode, it will be less intrusive indoors and completely stationary.
Frame Drop Wheel System
Minimize bending of the parent, allows for all mode changes standing up.
Roo Adjustment Lever
Can be moved into Stroller, Chair, Bassinet and portable mode.
Adjustable "Baby Pouch"
Take a closer look.
Bamboo Fabric is hyperallergenic and wicks moisture, keeping baby dry all day. The easily washable cover, a touchpoint prone to soiling, is the only consumable in The Roo. Its biodegradability aligns with our ethos and keeps to our full circle methodology.
Empowering mothers in social settings is integral to their overall confidence and mental well-being. Our colorways—Purity, Energy, Balance, and Passion—highlight each mother-baby duo's unique personality, fostering a sense of pride and individuality.
Chair mode doubles as a bouncer seat, keeping the child entertained anywhere in the home. Switch effortlessly to mealtime by attaching a frame-mounted table, eliminating the need for a separate highchair.
The Roo collapses to just 10 inches tall and can easily fit into a car’s trunk, the closet or garage.
The daily interactions between parents and their child involve four core functions: movement, relaxation, sleep, and feeding. Presently, the childcare product market requires mothers to acquire separate devices for each of these functions—such as a stroller, bouncy chair, bassinet, and highchair. The Roo is purposefully designed to streamline these transitions between functions. Featuring a central lever at waist height, it simplifies these transitions, eliminating the repetitive actions of bending over to collapse and set up multiple devices. This optimization minimizes the need for additional setup and movement of the baby. If the baby falls asleep in the stroller during a walk, when the parents get home they can effortlessly lower The Roo into chair mode in the living room without disturbing the child.
Let the baby sleep.
Raising a child often requires the wisdom and support of experienced mothers. In modern America, the number of single mothers has doubled in the last 50 years, with one in four mothers parenting alone. Recognizing this need for guidance, the app developed is a support system where new mothers can connect with a community facing similar experiences. Through our app, mothers can exchange advice and gain invaluable knowledge from others navigating the same journey.
By integrating sensors into the Baby pouch, The Roo provides insightful analytics on the baby's habits, predicting trends related to hunger or sleep. This feature alleviates the stress of deciphering a baby's needs while offering a comprehensive understanding of their behavior. Armed with this knowledge, mothers can optimize their child's well-being, fostering a healthier environment for their baby.
The App | It takes a village.
Marketplace
A hub within The Roo community, facilitating the purchase, resale of accessories, and access to the latest deals on Roo Parental Assistants.
Summary
The main dashboard presents clear graphical charts outlining trends in the child's behavior, centralizing data on sleep, eating, and discomfort for the mother's easy reference and utilization.
Community
Exchange knowledge among mothers through forums, articles, and direct messaging on our community page.
