Back in 2014, Nest filed a patent for a smart crib. Packing in all the regular components of a baby crib with tons of sensors, the apparatus was listed as invented by Nest exec Maxime Veron, and boasted features like cameras, microphones, sensors for pressure and light and even an accelerometer to tell the parent when the infant was shaking the crib around or if it may have tipped over at any point. While it’s a bit unclear what’s new and what’s old in the patent application, the fact that it’s been updated could mean that this device will be either tweaked or brought to market soon, though there really is no such thing as a sure thing when it comes to patents.
While there is a bit of paranoia over smart baby products in the wake of some baby monitors’ security being compromised, most firms in IoT are big on security, and Nest is no exception, meaning that, should this crib come to market, it will get the same safety-first treatment as Nest’s other products. In any case, the features include a wealth of sensors and monitoring tools that monitor the condition of the crib’s occupant and the environment around the crib. It can then beam that data to the parents and ask what to do to correct the environment around the crib, or act on programmed responses. A good example would be a baby who is normally asleep at 2 PM being awake in their crib; this situation could be met with a pre-programmed response such as playing a lullaby, if possible.
The patent does not detail exactly how well the crib would be integrated with other smart devices in the home, thus it remains a bit unclear exactly what actions the crib could or could not take to achieve satisfactory conditions, should an abnormality arise. Still, with monitoring features galore and the ability to alert parents, the crib has serious points over a non-smart crib and even most smart baby monitors. The crib will include a speaker, an LED panel and a projector, meaning that a lullaby or letting the parents video call their baby from another room would not be entirely out of the question. Still, the details of the patent application are purely tentative and could change, should the crib ever find its way to store shelves.
