Silver Baby, Kids' and Children's Products Design · 2021
Rockit Stroller Rocker
- A' Design Award 2021 Silver Winner in Baby, Kids' and Children's Products Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: Rockit
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 31,680
- Verification code 5AD52D8130 · Verify this award
About Rockit Stroller Rocker
Rockit is a compact rocker that attaches to a pram or stroller and gently rocks it to soothe babies to sleep. Rockit uses a two-fix system. A bracket is fitted high on the stroller frame, and the device clips into the bracket when needed. The device can be moved to another stroller or stored when not in use. A push switch turns Rockit on and a speed dial tunes the vibration to the resonant frequency of the frame, giving a gentle low frequency rock. Tests show the movement is comparable to rocking by hand. Most parts are injection moulded in ABS with TPR over-moulds.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Rockit attaches to any pram or stroller and gently rocks to soothe babies to sleep. There is nothing quite like Rockit on the market, with other solutions being large mains operated platforms that you wheel the stroller onto. Rockit is attached to the stroller using a 2-fix system meaning it can easily be switched to another stroller or safely stored when not in use. The speed control allows you to tune the Rockit to the resonant frequency of any pram or stroller to achieve the perfect rock that makes the baby believe they are still being pushed along.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 85mm x 95mm x 155mm
- Tags
- stroller rocker, baby sleep-aid, pram rocker, baby sleep aid, portable baby rocker, pushchair rocker
- Production Technology
- With the design making use of a spinning eccentric weight, early development work focused on testing the optimum mass and distance from the motor spindle. This was combined with testing the RPM of the motor to achieve a gently low frequency rock when fitted to a variety of stroller weights and sizes. Developing a system to start the heavy weight spinning even when mounted horizontally was also important. Regarding production, the majority of parts are injection moulded in ABS with some having TPR over-moulds.
- Design Challenge
- The main creative challenge was getting the branding and styling of the product right. The design team wanted the product to stand out in the nursery sector as many nursery products are very ‘twee’ or can look quite medical in appearance. It was important that the product looked nurturing and not too toy-like. Because the product would be on display when in use we wanted it to attract attention and act as a advertisement, hence the strong Rockit branding.
- Project Duration
- The project was started in Bristol, UK in late 2015. The initial concept won a Design Council Spark Award in London during September 2016. The first production samples were exhibited at the Kind und Jugend Nursery Show in the Cologne in September 2017. The Rockit was launched to market in November 2017.
- Operation Flow
- Rockit is attached to the stroller using a 2-fix system. The bracket is attached high up on the stroller frame first and the Rockit can then be clipped into the bracket when needed. This also means it can be switched to another stroller or safely stored when not in use. The Rockit is turned on using a push switch and the speed is then adjusted using a speed dial. This adjustment allows the user to tune the vibrations to the resonant frequency of the stroller giving a gentle low frequency rock.
- Research
- Quantitative research to measure levels of vibration acting on a stroller when rocked by Rockit, by hand and by wheeling over paving stones. Objective was to ensure acceleration measurements were comparable and within expected limits. Measurements were undertaken using 2 different accelerometers fixed to the stroller in a variety of positions. It was found that moving the stroller over paving stones, resulted in significantly higher levels of acceleration than those generated by Rockit and that rocking the stroller by hand was approximately comparable in each of the measurements.
- Inspiration
- Dr. Nick Webb invented Rockit when his three month old daughter refused to sleep in her stroller unless she was being pushed along. He noticed this problem affected other parents and using his knowledge of vibration and acoustics constructed a simple prototype. He tested it the next day and Abby remained asleep even when the stroller came to a halt. Nick set about developing and refining it with his co-founder Matt Dyson. Over the next year they turned the prototype into a marketable product.
- Image Credits
- All images. Chris Rickman, photographer, 2017
Video Credits: Barry Wilkinson, 2017 - Patents
- Patent pending. Patent number GB1705215.0. Patent holders N2M Ltd. Year 2017
UK Trademark UK00003148555. Year 2016. Trademark holder N2M Ltd.
Other trademarks: USA 88272320 and 5289937. EU 88272320. Australia 1879106. Canada 1863104. Japan 6158102. New Zealand 1081472. China 21004784. Israel 305973. South Korea 4015283950000. Russia 2019708217. Taiwan 01977936.
Registered Design / Design Patents: EU 003376920-0001. Canada 176798. USA USD845181S.