Self-Driving Stroller
At this year’s CES, one of the interesting products introduced was the self-driving stroller from Gluxkind, a Canadian-based baby gear startup. The AI-powered smart stroller Ella offers cutting-edge features using self-driving technology.
The self-driving or smart stroller has the same technology that you can see in autonomous cars. That is, it has a dual-motor system for any uphill walk. It also comes with an automatic brake assist for downhill walks.
The stroller has sensors that can detect objects around it. According to Gluxkind, they are there to act as extra pairs of eyes and sets of hands. In other words, they won’t replace a caregiver.
Hands-Free Features
Ella can drive itself for hands-free walking. But it only does so if there’s no child inside. It has cameras, too, that can monitor the surroundings and can easily navigate the sidewalks.
There are several uses for this stroller. Imagine walking this smart stroller downhill. Your child drops the toy, which rolls away. You rush to save it. Without self-driving technology, the stroller will continue to go downhill. But with the said technology, it brakes on its own.
Another use is if your child wants to be carried. The stroller will stroll itself while you carry your child.
Since it’s a self-driving stroller, it can handle every aspect of strolling without any human input. But this technology is still an active area of research and development. The goal is to improve safety, efficiency, and convenience.
Is Ella Ready for Prime Time?
As mentioned, self-driving technology is not yet fully proven. Thus, it may not be ready for prime time. Ella may have elements of safety if they are used properly and the caregiver is paying attention.
However, putting kids in the care of AI may cause anxiety to parents.
But self-driving technology isn’t the only interesting feature of Ella. It has built-in white noise that can soothe your sleeping toddlers while you’re walking in a park. The system has a car seat, bassinet, and toddler seat.
Still, self-driving technology is still new. It may have the potential to improve safety while strolling by reducing the risk of human errors. However, it’s still in the early stages of development.
Integrating this technology into a stroller may not be for all parents. However, the safety will still depend on how well it is designed and tested, as well as how well it is used by parents.
The startup was founded by new parents Anne Hunger and Kevin Huang. The inspiration behind this stroller was based on their experiences as new parents.
This stroller received a CES innovation award honoree.
If you wish to try it, you can pre-order it here. But it’s only for people in North America. It also has a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that will start in the spring. When you save your spot, you can expect to receive it in April 2023. You can pre-order 1 travel system to ensure fairness. If you wish to see how this self-driving stroller works, check out this video:
