It’s been rather a while since I had to push a stroller with my youngest just rolling over on her odometer to 12 years old, and we tended to carry our babies more than we pushed them in strollers (you know, that whole attachment parenting thing of baby wearing) but still, while strollers are helpful for storing things and when the little one’s asleep, there are definitely times when pushing is, well, work and a hassle.
Enter your local friendly robot. Or robot nanny. It’s the SMARTBE, a robotic stroller for the 1% that’s now live on Indiegogo and actually sounds really cool.
Here are some of the selling points for this swanky, luxurious stroller with all the bells and whistles:
- An electric engine will push the stroller, even uphill or jogging.
- Sensors will always keep the stroller within reach of parents and allow for gentle turns.
- Smart stop technology will slow and brake the stroller in case of danger.
- A built in rocker, bottle warmer, and music create a mobile nursery.
- 3 different retractable canopies protect against the cold and rain, the Sun, or insects.
- Internal and external cameras allow parents to use the SMARTBE APP to monitor their baby even if they are resting in the next room of a friend.
- Safety features can allow only authorized personnel like parents and nannies to unlock the wheels of the stroller.
Yeah, it’s likely vast overkill, but doesn’t it also sound really amazing? 🙂
With a base pricetag of $3000 for the full featureset, however, I’d be worried that someone would steal the stroller for the tech, whether there was a baby in it or not. Then again, we always had those $199 foldable strollers when we had a stroller at all but the very top end of the stroller world does include some amazing products like the $3700 Bugaboo Cameleon Special Edition and the $2700 Stokke Xplory Bundle.
But seriously, a built-in rocker, bottle warmer and speaker system? Add a robot diaper changing device and you could probably have a completely self-enclosed incubator. Except for the need for babies to actually have lots and lots of human touch. Here’s a good refresher article from Scientific American on the subject if you’re not already a passionate advocate of maximizing human touch for your wee bairn: The Importance of Physical Contact with your Infant.
Which isn’t to say that the SMARTBE isn’t going to be an amazing stroller that offers all the comforts of home while on the go, kind of like a baby RV or something. But as a parent of three and attachment parenting advocate, I see the real risk of strollers is the ease at which you can distant yourself from the immediate, kinesthetic needs of your newborn and baby. Find the balance and it could be an amazing addition to your life!
Learn more about the SMARTBE on the Indiegogo page. And as of this writing, they’re already raised over 25% of their $80k funding goal too.