The last time we reviewed wearable tech for newborns and pregnant women was in 2013 and since then a lot of new baby wearables have been launched. So time for an update!
Being pregnant is not always a bed of roses and most of the companies have that in mind while developing new products. They try to engage moms to share what is happening to their bodies. Besides that they also allow moms to be (and of course also dads-to-be) to listen to the heartbeat of their child, measure the temperature and in general information on how your baby is feeling.
For the pregnancy phase there is bloom technologies. The company developed a product in partnership with Zinc Group and recently presented it at the 14th Wearable Technologies Conference in Munich. Their device tracks contractions and helps reduce false labor alarms, because you rather not want go to the hospital for nothing right? The device is not available for sale yet but we are hoping it will be soon.
Nuvo Group is another company which wants to make life „easier“ for pregnant women. Theirbelly belt is called RITMO and has 4 speakers and a built-in iPod pocket. You can plug in your phone to play your favorite music to your baby.
Once you have a newborn, it can be overwhelming. To help you cope with this weird mix of emotions company Blue Maestro has come up with something that will help you out in the early stages of your newborn’s life. Pacif-I is a smart Bluetooth pacifier that monitors a baby’s temperature via a sensor built into the silicon teat and that transmits the data to an app on a parent’s iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. The app determines when the temperature is the most accurate and then time-stamps and plots the temperature data in a graph. Pacif-i also features a in-built proximity sensor that allows parents to monitor the pacifier’s location and so be alerted when their child wanders off (well that’s for when the baby is a bit older). Within the app, parents can set the distance, up to a range of 20 meters, for the alarm to be triggered when this is breached. Pacif-i has a battery life of more than one year and is available for pre-orders.
Spanish company thermibody is developing two different pieces, an onesie with an integrated temperature sensor and a little heart that you can attach to the it. Together they measure your baby’s temperature and transmit it to the accompanying app via Bluetooth Low Energy. You can subscribe to the company’s website to be informed of when the final product will be available.
You might know VivaLnk for their smart tattoo to unlock the Moto X, but also at our conference in Munich they presented their latest product; the eSkin thermometer. VivaLnk’s eSkin™ technology enables electronic circuitry with embedded sensors on a thin flexible material to adhere comfortably to your skin. Using an NFC chip solution this electronic patch makes accurate temperature measurements without requiring a battery. The eSkin™ Thermometer patch works with a smartphone and provides a range of smart features. The initial product release will include the ability to record and track fevers and also simplifying the monitoring process. Since the patch looks and feels like a kids’ sticker it makes taking the temperature a playful experience for the child. The eSkin is available for pre-order.
Babybe Medical, was one of the finalists at the Make it Wearable challenge from Intel, a device which transmits the touch of a mother to her premature baby in real time, simulating her heartbeat and breathing for the infant while still in an incubator. BabyBe hopes to provide a comforting and healthy environment for premature infants. BabyBe consists of a “Mother Module” which worn by the mother that simulates the breathing and heartbeat -captured by the mother module- and a “Control Module” to run the baby’s cradle. The mother’s movements are transmitted in real time, and can be recorded and played back for use when the mother is unavailable.
Another finalist but from a different contest, The Innovation World Cup, for the category of Smart Clothing is Mondevices. Their device detects infant’s breathing, activity level and position during sleep. The so called Monbaby is a baby monitor that snaps onto any piece of a child’s clothing, through the patented MonSnap® technology just like a button. The information is transmitted to the parent’s smartphone. Monbaby will retail for $169 and recently started shipping the product.
DK Tek Innovations is currently running a campaign on Kickstarter seeking for funding for their Baby Check, a child temperature and position monitoring wearable that works with iOS and Android devices. You can monitor your child’s temperature and position while they sleep or move. Baby Check is a band that you can strap around the arm of your child. While the name is Baby Check it can be used for kids up to 6 years old.
While we see very useful devices for new parents and their children there is always a little concern with putting technologies that permanently transmit to a child. . So the ones with certifications or even FDA approval will probably the ones most likely accepted by parents.
