Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. HOMEPAGE

Nest could be working on a smart crib that can tell you why your baby is crying

baby in a crib
Flickr/djs1021

Nest, a division run under Google's parent company Alphabet, wants to take its smart technology into your kids' bedrooms.

Advertisement

Nest was awarded a patent Thursday for a smart crib embedded with sensors. (Google was the original patent applicant, as it was filed in 2014 before the company's restructuring.)

The sensors can do things like monitor the baby's movements and keep tabs on the environmental factors to make sure the baby is safe. 

For example, you could program the sensor to send an alert to your phone if the room gets too hot or too cold. But the sensors could also have other functions, like letting you know if the baby is awake based on its movement, has a dirty diaper, or is coughing or sneezing an unusual amount.

The coolest part of the crib would be its ability to detect what's going on with your baby and attempt to respond to the issue. So, if your baby starts crying, the crib could activate an attached entertainment device to display LED cartoon animals on the ceiling to calm the baby down. Or, it could play calming music through an integrated speaker.

Advertisement
Google patent smart crib
US Patent and Trademark Office

The patent even outlines using an algorithm that can analyze a baby's different cries to learn if one cry indicates a need for a diaper change while another could indicate the baby is hungry. The crib could then try to comfort the baby itself or send an alert to a parent's phone about what it thinks the problem is.

google nest smart crib patent
USPTO

Parents could even program the crib to display fun lighting on the ceiling at times the baby typically wakes up.

The patent inventor is Maxime Veron, the director of Nest hardware product management and marketing. A smart crib would fall under Nest's vision for a connected home.

Just because Nest filed the patent doesn't necessarily mean it will be making a smart crib anytime soon, if at all. Nest declined to comment on whether it plans to bring the smart crib to market.

Advertisement

But it's cool to think of a future where your crib could help you figure out why your baby won't stop wailing.

On February 28, Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, joined 31 other media groups and filed a $2.3 billion suit against Google in Dutch court, alleging losses suffered due to the company's advertising practices.

Google Babies iot
Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Jump to

  1. Main content
  2. Search
  3. Account