Orbit Baby introduces high-design travel system
By Jane Kitchen -- Kids Today, 6/1/2005
Orlando, Fla.— The buzz at the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Assn. trade show here last month was all about Orbit Baby, a new company with a revolutionary infant travel system design. The company's founders, Joseph Hei and Bryan White, worked together at Palo Alto, Calif.-based design firm IDEO and first looked into the concept of a stylish, flexible and functional travel system in 2002 when White was a new father.
The Orbit team worked on the concept for three years, enlisting industrial designer Chris Loew and conducting focus groups with parents. They chose the name Orbit to evoke the full-circle system of products they designed.
The Orbit Infant System consists of three parts: an infant carseat, car base and stroller. The base incorporates a patented StrongArm technology that the company said allows the seat to be installed correctly in under 60 seconds.
The infant carseat docks onto a base with SmartHub, a circular interface that allows the carseat to snap onto the base from any angle or direction before being locked into the rear-facing position. At JPMA, company executives demonstrated how to dock the carseat in a full-size Mini Cooper convertible, and the flexibility of angles allowed the seat to be installed by simply reaching over the car's sides and into the back seat.
The carseat is also designed with a soft handle so it can be comfortably slung over an arm — the way the company's research showed many moms carry the carseat. It is sized for infants up to 1 year or 22 pounds.
The Orbit Stroller is fitted with the same circular SmartHub dock, which the carseat snaps into. The baby can face rear or forward, or even sideways to be pulled up to a restaurant table. The stroller features a one-hand folding mechanism, removable cargo basket and weighs about 12 pounds.
The three-piece system, which will be available in one neutral color and one colorful version, will retail for $899 and will be shipping in November or December. Orbit plans to add additional products in the future, including a two-piece system featuring a toddler carseat and stroller seat; a rocker system, including a bassinet that can dock on either the stroller or a rocker that can be brought into the home; and the Orbit Twin Infant System — a five-piece system that will include two infant carseats, two car bases and one double stroller.
Orbit Baby's travel system combines style with function.
