
Gas prices remain high, but over-achieving parents still need their status symbols. So I declare that the stroller is the next SUV, or Strolling Utility Vehicle. Exhibit A, the Origami stroller.
As befits the replacement for the Chelsea Tractor, the Origami comes equipped with an embarrassment of superfluous gizmos. As you’d expect, it is powered. Thankfully it doesn’t push itself, but it will fold up at the push of a button. This would be handy for parents trying to juggle baby, groceries and stroller as they climb onto the bus, but we know the Origami owner would never, ever travel by public transport.
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The batteries can also charge your iPhone as you go, or any other device thanks to a USB port up by the LCD panel. Yes, this stroller has a display, showing such info as battery level and ambient temperature. And that’s not all. It even has running lights an low-level pathway lights for avoiding bumps in the dark.
Will it fold with Junior still inside? Sadly not. The Transformer-like Origami has sensors to detect occupants.
The best thing, though, is that the Origami is self-charging. Generators in the wheels top up the battery as you walk, so you can send your nanny out to charge your iPad.
The stroller comes in at $850. Not cheap, but roughly the same cost as a tank of gas for the Chevy Suburban.