Raising a child is a stressful venture into the realm of trial-by-error that could leave parents wondering if they are doing an adequate job. Among the most stressful periods of childhood on a parent is infancy – when the thought of leaving a baby unattended sends chills down the spines of parents trying to get some sleep. What if the parents of a sleeping infant could know what position their baby is in without getting out of bed? Beginning in autumn, this, as well as the ability to monitor an infant’s quality of sleep, blood oxygenation levels, and skin temperature, will be within reach.
Owlet Baby Care has developed a “smart sock” that may ease the stress of parenthood by monitoring infant comfort and safety, and transmitting this information via Bluetooth 4.0 to a synced smartphone. The data are available at the swipe of a touchscreen, or on the cloud through any Internet connected device. This may be a revolutionary approach to baby monitoring, changing the game from mere audio/visual monitoring to the utilization of a suite of sensors typically found in consumer electronics.
A relevant use case of this technology may be in the prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). It is believed that an infant’s sleep position is a contributing factor to SIDS. More specifically, it is recommended that infants only sleep on their backs, and never face-down. The new baby monitor developed by Owlet is designed to help prevent this by monitoring the baby’s sleep position and setting off an alarm if a face-down rollover occurs. Hopefully, this new technology will help lower the number of infant deaths due to SIDS, as well as help the parents of newborn babies get some much needed rest.
