A “smart sock” has been developed by Owlet Baby Care that monitors infant comfort and safety. The information is transmitted via Bluetooth 4.0 to a synced smartphone.
(Update 19-Sep-2023: 'Smart Sock' From Owlet Baby Care Taken off the Market)
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.
David Keller's classic 1928 short story Psychophonic Nurse features an electric diaper that notifies caregivers that the diaper is full of urine:
"...suppose the baby gets wet between times? Suppose it starts to cry?"
"I've thought of that, too. In every diaper there is a fine copper wire. When that becomes wet a delicate current is sent - you understand I mean an electrical current, not a watery one...".
Illustrating Classic Heinlein With AI
'Stasis, cold sleep, hibernation, hypothermia, reduced metabolism, call it what you will - the logistics-medicine research teams had found a way to stack people like cordwood and use them when needed.' - Robert Heinlein, 1956
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Gaia - Why Stop With Just The Earth?
'But the stars are only atoms in larger space, and in that larger space the star-atoms could combine to form living matter, thinking matter, couldn't they?'
Microsoft VASA-1 Creates Personal Video From A Photo
'...to build up a video picture would require, say, ten million decisions every second. Mike, you're so fast I can't even think about it. But you aren't that fast.'