|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Brushing up on kids' oral hygiene Altitude Plus translates its experience in the adult oralcare business for the juvenile market with the release of the Aqua Sonic Water Jet Toothbrush. After witnessing the oralcare aisle in retail stores recently evolve, the company, which has a 20-year-history in product design and development for the toy industry, saw an opportunity to initially design an air motor for the adult market. The company took the Aqua Sonic Water Jet Oral Care System to Wal-Mart last December and after shipping product in June, saw great success and decided to tailor the a new version of the product for kids. After obtaining the rights to both The Hulk and Strawberry Shortcake, the company created compact, cordless toothbrushes geared toward both young boys and girls, respectively. Steve Rehkemper of Altitude Plus tells PLAYTHINGS that the oral irrigation system, combined with the brush, is something that's never been done before. He says the Aqua Sonic brush's design incorporates the same philosophy as the adult version in that it has the ability to go where bristles can not. And if, he adds, the product makes brushing fun and helps create a good habit for kids, then it's doing its job. The Aqua Sonic brush for kids is also being carried in Babies R Us, as well as Eckerds and CVS pharmacies. The company is hoping to expand into grocery stores and other drug and mass outlets. In addition to this product, Altitude Plus has obtained rights to the Popsicle license and has created bristle brushes that feature a scented plug in flavors like cherry, grape and orange. Rehkemper says the brushes have experienced a great response from retailers thus far. |
| From Solidworks magazine, July 30, 2003 |
|
Toy innovators use SolidWorks to expand company focus and create consumer health
care breakthrough
Chicago maker of new toothbrush system credits 3D mechanical design software’s
ease of use, efficiency for 50-percent reduction in time to production
CONCORD, Mass., July 30, 2003 — One of the world’s leading toy invention, design, and development firms has used SolidWorks® 3D mechanical design software to broaden its customer base and bring innovations to the consumer health care market. Rehkemper Invention & Design (RID) of Chicago has created a revolutionary dental care system that incorporates a toothbrush, tongue brush, and oral irrigator in one device that retails for under $10. The AquaSonic WaterJet ä Oral Care System, developed for Altitude Plus LLC, went on sale at Wal-Mart and other stores in June. It requires no batteries or electricity because it works on air pressure similar to Rehkemper’s toy plane designs. The device holds two mouthfuls of water or mouthwash and sprays for 30 seconds after pumping. “We designed everything in SolidWorks right down to the bristles,” said Steve Rehkemper, CEO of the company behind blazingly fast yo-yos, the world’s first radio-controlled toy helicopters, and affordable air-powered planes. “In fact, we’ve used SolidWorks to design all our products and have seen instant payback from the start. It was easier to see what we were designing with SolidWorks’ 3D models than with drawings, continuous mockups, or the cumbersome 3D models from other computer-aided design (CAD) packages we tried. SolidWorks has reduced our time to production by more than 50 percent and has basically fueled our company’s growth over the years. The risk/reward ratio was highly favorable compared with the expensive design packages like Pro/E.” SolidWorks’ ease of use and efficiency were key factors enabling Rehkemper’s manufacturing partner to get the AquaSonic WaterJet ä on the market quickly and keep development costs low, savings that go right back to the consumer. Rehkemper says the same efficiencies have also helped the company develop: • The world’s first radio-controlled helicopter that is simple, safe, and affordable enough to be called a “toy.” It retails at major toy and department store chains for only one-third of the cost of the least expensive hobby grade radio-controlled helicopters, and is much more durable. • An air motor the size of a sugar cube that will soon be on store shelves in the world’s smallest air-powered planes. It will also go into four-inch-long, record-small air-powered cars capable of traveling the equivalent of a quarter-mile at its scale in three seconds. The company is sponsoring the Interdisciplinary Product Development (IPD) program at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) to research, identify, and develop new product applications for the mini air motor in fields of use other than toys. • Yo Baby!™ yo-yos, including the Yo-Air, whose open-frame design gives it a 34-percent higher energy-to-weight ratio than standard designs. “Toys present some extremely compelling engineering challenges whose solutions can be extended to other important industries,” said SolidWorks Vice President of Marketing Ilya Mirman. “And of course, making toys safe, fun, and affordable to kids is important all by itself. As is apparent, SolidWorks is the 3D mechanical design software of choice for an astounding range of industries and applications, and its flexible design capabilities help companies like Rehkemper demonstrate their versatility in dramatic ways.” Rehkemper is working with SolidWorks reseller Computer Aided Technology, Inc. (CATI) for ongoing software training, implementation, and support. About Rehkemper Rehkemper Invention & Design was founded in 1983 and is in the business of inventing new products for license, primarily to the toy industry. Additionally, RID provides a full range of design, development, and prototyping services to the toy industry and other related consumer product industries, utilizing the latest in electronic design, CAD systems, and CNC machining. RID product inventions have resulted in over $1 billion in combined sales for clients such as Mattel/Fisher-Price, Hasbro/Tiger, and many others. |