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...".
Drug To Regenerate Teeth In Humans
'We want to do something to help those who are suffering from tooth loss or absence,' said lead researcher Katsu Takahashi.
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
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!)
is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for
the Invention Category that interests
you, the Glossary, the Invention
Timeline, or see what's New.
A System To Defeat AI Face Recognition
'...points and patches of light... sliding all over their faces in a programmed manner that had been designed to foil facial recognition systems.'