Okay, last week I promised a solution for pushing heavy strollers up hills.  Here it is, the Stroller Boost Pack. Dr. Dad deserves a lot of credit for this one.  I think I was talking about the adult-sized-step-up board for downhill coasting, and he came up with the rechargeable battery idea. So, actually, this is like 99% his idea.  Anyhow, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Now then: What are the top 3 biggest problems with owning a big heavy SUV stroller? #1: Getting it in and out of your trunk. #2 Pushing it up hill. #3 Resisting it's momentum while it pulls you downhill.  We solved problem #3 last week.  I was going to solve #1 and #2 with this article, but I'm having some design issues with my trunk loading gizmo.  So that might have to wait until next week. Anyhow, I guess we're working our way up up the list....slowly....

So, here's the solution for problem #2: If you're putting so much energy into pushing this stroller, uphill, downhill, everywhere, why don't you harness some of that rotational energy in a rechargeable battery, which you can later use to give you a boost when pushing it it uphill? The extent of my understanding of the science behind this is as follows: if something is rotating (like a windmill, or a stroller wheel) you can set it up to rub as it turns on a tightly coiled bundle of wires, and that friction will generate a charge, which you can store in a battery. (Sorry Dad, if I mangled that one.) Now, I have no concept of how fast the wheel would have to go, or how large the coil or the battery would have to be for this to be useful.  (But I would definitely welcome comments from someone who is more mechanically/electrically knowledgable than I am.)

But, anyway, this is how it would work.  You wrap said fancy coils (orange) around the wheel axels (in a baby safe manner, of course.) And you hook these babies up to a sleek flat battery (purple) that is stored, perhaps, under the stroller basket. Or maybe in a compartment below the foot of the seat. Oh, yes, and it might be nice to combine this idea with the adult-sized-step-up board so that you can a) charge this without even pushing as you coast downhill, and b) hop on for a break when you're battery is full after you've been walking for a while.

The battery has wires that can direct current back to the wheel axels, helping them to spin faster. It also has a wire that connects to a control station on the stroller handlebar.  The handlebar control station will tell you whether there is charge in the battery (red for empty, yellow for charging, and green for full.)  It also has two modes (this part was my idea!)  The AUTO mode will sense when the stroller is going uphill, and will automatically add a little extra power to make your life easier, until the stroller levels out again.  The MANUAL mode will wait until you tell it you want the boost.  That's what the GO! button is for.  If you're on MANUAL mode, and you're having a hard time, push the GO! button, and the stroller boost will kick in.  I added a little level to the stroller (yellow) to show how it will sense when it's going uphill.

Stroller companies: we would really appreciate some royalties on this idea.  Thanks!