Top Car Designer Frank Stephenson Reveals 'Cradled in Safety' Design Approach for the babyark Smart Car Seat

Aeronautical Engineer and Automotive Designer Mark the First Car Seat Innovation in Decades

CHICAGO, Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Frank Stephenson, the automotive designer behind Ferrari, Maserati, and more, was in Chicago on February 12 around the 2024 Chicago Auto Show, discussing his unique design approach for the brand new, world's safest car seat, babyark.

Developed by Stephenson and Shy Mindel, an aeronautical engineer turned parent, the babyark car seat introduces a holistic approach to safety with both the military-grade hardware from which it is built, as well as the IoT smart technology embedded within. The nature-inspired design biomimics the woodpecker's plate-like skull structure designed to absorb energy and protect the head, as well as the protective shape of an egg.

"After years of designing for luxury car brands, I decided to expand my skills and take a step toward child safety," said Stephenson. "My design focus has always kept passenger safety top of mind but working on the babyark car seat has given me a new perspective. My role in the babyark development process has allowed me to take my work to new levels and I'm proud to have helped create a new standard of safety in an industry that has not seen innovation in decades."

"As a father, I was baffled by the fact that I was expected to put my most prized possession into something so simple and low-tech," said Mindel. "From the moment I brought my twins home, I knew it was my mission to create a safer, more intuitive car seat to help parents keep their children safe. Working with Frank, and our entire team, we've been able to revolutionize the car seat, elevating the safety and comfort that our kids need and deserve."

Stephenson and Mindel have reimagined child passenger safety with a seat that combines advanced technological engineering and design with a connected app, available on Android and iOS, to take the guesswork out of car seat safety and give caregivers the peace of mind that their child is safely in the seat on each and every drive. The seat features:

• Hardware: Engineered with military-grade anti-crash materials
  • CrbnEgg™ carbon fiber egg-shaped shell
  • JoltFree™ headrest with D3O impact absorbing polymer
  • Steel SafeCoil™ energy-absorbing system to slow the seat's forward momentum during a crash
  • BioArk™ side-impact protection biomimicking the woodpecker's bone structure
• Software: Embedded with 14 sensors in the 'smart base' & a personal mobile app, supplying real time notifications regarding child passenger safety:
  • If the seat is installed properly or not
  • If the child is buckled or not
  • If the child is forgotten in the vehicle
• A car seat option that doesn't expire
• A car seat option for infants and children 0-6 years old from 4 to 55 pounds rear-facing and 26.5 to 65 pounds forward-facing

The babyark Car Seat debuted at CES in 2023, where it was named an innovation and award honoree.  It is now available for purchase through babyark.com as well as specialty retailers at a price of $990.

About babyark
babyark is a global tech brand reimagining child safety. On a mission to develop the safest car seat ever designed and manufactured, babyark combines innovative design, engineering and IoT technology with the finest materials, used in aviation and military applications, and rigorously tested in crash simulations. To learn more, visit babyark.com.

Media Contact
Trisney Wiedemann
[email protected]

SOURCE babyark