Self-walking stroller and baby translator: the year's newest tech
CES birthed some next-level parenting gear
CES, the world’s biggest yearly tech goods trade show, showcased some interesting (and sci-fi worthy) parenting gear recently. Keep in mind that gear like the Willow and the Snoo once premiered at CES, so this is a glimpse into what could be on baby registries in 5 or so years.
Here’s what caught my eye:
Self-walking stroller
Canadian startup GlüxKind debuted their Ella stroller, an autonomous stroller that drives itself when you’re carrying your baby. Their bassinet-equipped stroller looked similiar to the designs I’m used to seeing from brands like Uppa (sleek, elegant), except with a motor block between the wheels (and I have mixed feelings).
One great thing: The self-driving mode only works when you’re carrying your baby. PHEW! The motor is meant to make it easier to get up tough hills, the autonomous feature could mean you have two hands to carry your fussy baby, and the stroller will only self-drive if it senses someone behind it. It even has an auto-rock feature.
This isn’t the first motorized stroller I’ve seen, but it is the first autonomous. My first thought was this could be a great choice for mobility-limited parents, but with an expected retail price of at least $3,300, it’s not affordable for most people. That doesn’t seem to be a problem for them, though. According to CNET, the company got so many preorders it had to stop accepting them so they could meet the existing demand.
I’m interested to see where this one goes. Autonomous driving is all the rage right now, and I’d want to know more about how much training (and on what terrain, in what conditions) the AI has, as well as more about the safety features of the tech and what sleep-safe consultants they utilized. Something like a stroller is so important that it must be vetted intensely before trusting it with our kids. But just imagine being able to take a walk with your collicky kid or cranky toddler and know you could just keep walking if they got tired of the stroller. My arms would be so happy!
Baby cry translator
This product from Taiwanese company Q-baby, called Q-bear, showed off its system that claims to listen to babies’ cries and tell parents what the baby wants. The AI system is meant to tell caregivers whether the cry shows one of four needs: hunger, a diaper change, sleep, and comfort.
The orb-shaped speaker pairs with an app and is meant to also show if your baby is in pain via its data analytics.
Any parent will tell you babies have different cries, and this suggested to be true in studies as well. This isn’t the first time AI has been used to translate babies’ cries, so products like this could actually work and would a huge benefit to exhausted parents.
I would want to know a LOT more about how this AI was trained, how many hours, and I’d want to see it in action before relying on it. This product doesn’t appear to be available for purchase on their website yet.
P.S. For those of you who read this far, thanks for your patience during my absence. My family moved states, and I largely facilitated that move, so I had to put this newsletter on the backburner until we settled in. I will be doing posts regularly here on out!
Welcome back 🎉