Strollerderby : gadgets

Giant Green Robot Comforting Sick Kids

JeanneSager — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:57:00 GMT

When you think of a creature sent to comfort kids, the first thing that comes to mind is a giant green robot with a nose like Horton, right? No? Me neither.

But Belgian scientists apparently think that's the way to go.

In order to help comfort sick children in Belgian hospitals, scientists have created a prototype robot with a long green nose that purrs when petted or hugged and says "ouch" when punched or hit. Dubbed Probo (as in proboscis), the robot has a touchscreen on his belly to explain to children the details of their impending medical procedures. His facial expressions are designed to change to intimate how the procedures will make the kids feel.

It sounds like an interesting idea, although Probo can't hug the kids back - which is why clowns (excuse me, I know some of you are freaked by them) and other visiting dressed up characters generally do a much better job of comforting kids. They're comfy!

The one advantage I do see in a robot is his lack of emotion when it comes to dealing with sick kids. Where adults explaining a medical procedure to a child - even trained medical procedures - can't help but react to the child's emotion, a robot is going to keep it nice and steady and just keep talking the kids through everything.

Still not sure I want a guy who looks like a cross between Horton the elephant and the incredible Hulk wandering around the pediatric ward (no, not scary at all, uh uh), but hey, they say they're still working on him. Maybe they can change out that nose. Get a look at pictures of him over at Reuters.

Image: Reuters

Forget Your Kids. Make Sure Their Dolls Are Watching TV

Jen Chaney — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:02:00 GMT

I love things that are mini. If it's teeny, wee or itty bitty, all the better. Perhaps that why I am so enamored of these dollhouse TVs, which were created on a 1:12 scale and actually work.

That's right, you can hook them up to cable, DVD players, even video games. Yes, if you want to play "Guitar Hero III" while squinting, this is your chance.

We spend so much time worrying about how much TV our kids watch that we don't even think about whether their dolls are getting any quality tube time. And really, don't they deserve some? I hear some of those little Fisher Price people are really, really pissed about missing most of the fourth season of "Lost." Now, finally, we can make it up to them.

Photo: BoingBoing

Pregcellent: What Gear Do You Need?

Kelly Mills — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:34:00 GMT

There's a post on HuffPo about some fairly ridiculous gadgets for parents. You can get a fancy-pants baby timer for tracking your baby's sleep and nap and diaper schedule, presumably to help avoid the age-old question, "Crap, when did the baby last eat?" Of course, when I had a newborn I could barely dial a phone number, much less program a handheld device with four timers. And there's also the LENA System, which records conversations between you and your baby and analyzes them on a computer. I know I would not want to be caught on tape making annoying babbling sounds, but perhaps this is good practice for the kid should they ever come under government surveillance. But perhaps you own these things, and find them indispensable.

'Course this all raises the question: What exactly do you need? Anywhere from a dresser drawer and a couple diapers, to a pre-warmed sleigh crib and video monitor, depending on who you ask. Part of the problem is that it's hard to know what your baby will even like, and what you'll find easiest to use. My child abhorred the baby swing, and I found the metronome noise it made put me, not my kid, to sleep. However, our vibrating bouncy seat made three months of showering possible. Other could-go-either-way items include the special bed co-sleeping attachment or a crib; a frontpack (versus sling); white noise machines (try the vacuum cleaner in a pinch); diaper wipe warmers; and exersaucers. We got the most life out of our baby bjorn, our cheap-o folding stroller, and the high chair. But if I could have made one slightly more extravagant purchase, what would I have invested in? Screw the LENA System--I would have gotten a night nurse.

Wire Tap Your Kid's Phone, Old-School Style.

makeitadouble — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 17:54:00 GMT

Mom and Dad, are you confused by all this new-fangled gadgetry and long for the simpler days of cigarette case weapons, bow tie cameras, microfilm and invisible ink? Well, in this mixed up topsy-turvy world of high-tech surveillance, GPS Enabled Tracking, and Radio Frequency Identification Tags (RFIT) it’s good to know that there is still some cold war era technology available to Orwellian-minded parents who want to wire tap their kid’s phones.

I ntroducing Elenco’s Telephone Bug Kit. Once you’ve installed the dime-sized wiretapping device, which is fundamentally just a low-power FM radio transmitter, you’ll be able to eavesdrop on your child’s conversation from the safety of another room. Granted there’s a chance you could be prosecuted under Federal Laws that prohibit illegal wire tapping and yes the Telephone Bug Kit does require a rudimentary knowledge of soldering, but think of the bonding time you’ll have with your spouse or significant other as you install this bug and betray the sacred trust between parent and child.

Am I laying the sarcasm on thick enough here? Whatever you think you can gain by illegally wire tapping your child’s phone will never make up for what you will lose if your son or daughter ever finds out Mom and Dad went George Bush on their ass. Instead of secretly monitoring their conversations, why not just ask them what you want to know. Besides, this doesn’t work on cell phones and how many kids even use landlines anymore?

However, if you are swayed by the Nikolai Khohlov endorsement and purchase the Bug Kit, you'll be happy to know it comes with a cyanide tablet; you know, just in case.

Pillowig: Even Parents With Newborns Aren't This Tired

Kelly Mills — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:24:00 GMT

Here's some well-worn parenting advice when you have your first little newborn: "sleep when the baby sleeps." Of course, this is fine unless your child completely resists your carefully choreographed sleep schedule like the insomniac ninja that she is. Mine slept anywhere but at home: in the store, in the car, in the bar... Yes, I'm kidding on the last one. Anyhow, I suppose I could have used something like this Pillowig so that I, too could have drifted into slumber at a moment's notice, anywhere. That is, if I didn't mind looking like a complete ass. Um, on purpose, that is.

It was invented by Joo Youn Paek, and if you want to write in and tell me how you love your Pillowig, how it completely changed your life, and now you are rested and fresh as a daisy and as an added bonus that strangers on the street avoid you then I'm all ears.

What Every Parent Needs: An LCD Wine Thermometer

Patti — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:29:00 GMT

Wouldn't you know it, it's a month and a half too late to buy this and call it my Mother's Day gift to myself, and a week too late to buy it for Father's Day and pretend it's really for my husband.

The Carl Mertens wine thermometer clips around a standard bottle and within a minute, you're informed of the bottle's temperature. It's cleverly marked around the band with different types of wine, so even a novice can't screw up and serve the Chard too warm or the Pinot too cold. Absolute genius.

I wonder if it works on baby bottles? Eh, probably not. But it's surely more useful than a damn wipes warmer. And I do have an anniversary coming up...

via Gizmodo

Riding Vacuum Concept Could Help Kids Earn Their Keep

Patti — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 21:29:00 GMT

Here's a vacuum cleaner your toddlers won't run from in fright: this concept design from Kristina Andersson is made for little kids to sit on and push around, cleaning up their own Cheerios for a change.

Unfortunately it's currently in the "pipe dream" stage of development, so you can't rush out and get one for yourself. But what to do with your mess in the meantime? A small dustpan/whisk broom combo is a good start; my three year old doesn't even wait for me to tell her to sweep up the remains of her breakfast in the morning. Cleaning up seems to be so much fun that I despair of ever teaching her just to keep the food off the floor in the first place. Maybe a riding vacuum isn't such a great long-term solution after all?

via Gizmodo

Smile! You're On Doll Camera

Kelly Mills — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 19:03:00 GMT

New art film: “My life as a dolly's belly button”. These odd little action figures live a double life as fully functional webcams. Perhaps “action figure” is a misnomer, since it looks like the only action they could take would be taking their freaky hair for a stroll and eating doughnuts, but the secret weapon on these babies is they can capture resolutions up to 1280x960 at 30fps. Be very what you say of do kids, cuz the dolly is always watching you.

Even though this has shades of surveillance and reality television, I kind of like the idea of filming the kid through a toy for a day. Right now I'm reduced to tiptoeing up to her door and holding my breath if I want to hear the cute games she plays with her stuffed animals and dolls, and with these little space invaders I could capture the whole thing for posterity while simultaneously ~~wasting time reading trashy gossip sites~~ working. Though most likely my plan would be foiled he minute she dropped this thing in the bathtub, dressed it up in a camera-covering Groovy Girls tanktop (they don't all wear half shirts), or traded it to her friend for a poop-scooping Barbie.

What Geeky Moms Want For Mother's Day

Patti — Sat, 12 May 2007 20:23:00 GMT

The upside to being one half of a nerd couple is that we always know what to get one another for gift-giving holidays: something we'd want for ourselves, provided we don't already have one. The iPod-to-human ratio is already pretty high in our house, and the iPhone isn't out yet, but there are countless gadgets out there that would suit me fine, and whatever I don't get for Mother's Day will probably be just fine for Father's Day—that's the beauty of a shared interest in shiny objects.

PC Mag's list of gifts includes a Wii, something my husband and I have been thinking about getting ourselves for a while now, and not just because of my strong resemblance to Cooking Mama.

Techmamas rounded up gift suggestions from the blogosphere, and made a little list of their own too. I love the idea of a classy little purse that holds a slew of gadgets and can be tucked into your laptop bag, and I'm actually pretty crazy about the idea of getting some organizational software (getting financial software for Christmas was an unexpected joy).

The best part of this? Most guys aren't going to mind a last-minute trip to Fry's Electronics or Best Buy on the Saturday evening before Mother's Day.

iPhone: 1 in 4 Hipster Teens Would Buy One

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 22:09:00 GMT

The iPhone isn't even available yet, but according to a recent survey, "early adopter" high schoolers are ready to drop 5 Benjis on it as soon as it hits the market.

Researchers at PiperJaffray surveyed about 500 high school students asking each about their interest (and buying habits) in portable digital audio and online music. The iPhone also doubles as an iPod.

Nearly 85 percent said they were already familiar with the multi-function Apple gadget, and of those students, 25 percent said they'd be willing to buy one at the previously announced $500 entry point.

Our advice? Steel yourselves, parents. You're about to be hit up for 500 bucks by kids who don't know that you never buy version 1.0 of a tech product. Can't you just hear the whining now? Tell those kids to get a job. They should be able to make enough folding t-shirts at Abercrombie & Fitch to afford the iPhone by the time it's released in June.

Apple Releases iPod for Babies

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 11:01:00 GMT

I've written previously about how iPods are perfect for preschoolers, and so it was with great excitement that I read about Apple's plans to release an iPod especially for babies. Rumors are that it is set to debut hot on the heels of the much-anticipated iPhone release.

Banking on the the success of products like the First Years Crib CD Player, Apple is releasing a ruggedized version of its video iPods—called iPodBaby—especially for baby use.

The iPodBaby is covered by a soft-yet-strong non-toxic polystyrene coating with a hook-and-loop backing that can stick easily to any cloth from crib bumpers to onesies to the cloth-like coverings of most disposable diapers. It has a 10 gig microdrive from Toshiba which can hold hundreds of lullabyes or your favorite Baby Einstein videos (now exclusively available on iTunes).

A unique option only available on the iPodBaby is the Garmin GPS plug-in module that lets you keep track of your baby. Not only is this feature helpful when your baby hits the crawling stage, it also allows you to keep tabs on what your nanny and baby are doing. Is she really at the park? Now you'll know for sure.

Plush Bose headphones with buds in a variety of cute animal shapes ensure that your baby's ears are comfortable (and cute!) without sacrificing sound quality. There is also an available Nuk ear bud which doubles as a pacifier

The iPodBaby comes in blue, pink, or unisex silver and can be engraved with baby's name and birthdate for no additional change. The iPodBaby will retail for $349 and is appropriate for babies as young as 1 week old.

[photo: gizmodo]

iPods and Preschoolers Do Mix, Here's Why

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:03:00 GMT

When my four-year-old received an iPod Shuffle for Christmas, I rolled my eyes a little. What use does a preschooler have for an iPod, especially since I didn't get no iPod Shuffle for Christmas? Turns out, lots.

After having it sit in its box for a month, I finally loaded it up with some of my child's favorite music, everything from Laurie Berkner to the Cars soundtrack to Missy Elliot. When we go on car rides and I cannot listen to the music from JoJo's Circus one. more. time., I pass the iPod back, and she gets to hear her tunes while I listen to Fuhhh-reeeesh Air! She's even been known to pass one of the headphones to her toddler sister.

Recently, I logged onto iTunes, chose some kids' audiobooks and put those on as well. My daughter enjoys listening to them and after they are through, we work on her reading comprehension skills as I ask her what happened in the story and what her favorite part was.

I've taken to carrying around her iPod in my purse (because it's so small), and when we are out at restaurants waiting for our meal, I can whip it out and it will keep her occupied. We're probably going to ditch our portable DVD player and get a video iPod so that my girls can watch their favorite movies on long car rides or while on an airplane. Living in Silicon Valley does that to you, I guess.

Baby Gadgets: Do Parents NEED Half This Crap?!

thezeroboss — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 20:03:00 GMT

It's open mic time here at Strollerderby, folks. Tell us: what's the most useless baby gadget or gift you've ever received? (Come on, don't be shy; we promise you that your mother-in-law isn't reading.) Barring that, what's the most extravagant and pointless baby purchase you've ever made?

If you can't think of any, then revel in your superiority by reading this article from the Associated Press about useless baby crap. The targets of the AP's ire include: Pee-Pee Teepees (a pointed Dixie cup for catching runaway squirts during changes); wipe warmers (which National Review writer Jay Gress actually accuses of destroying Western civilization!); bottle warmers (which aren't destroying Western civilization - just your bank account); and microwave steam sterilizers (which is something I didn't even know I didn't need).

I guess we should count ourselves frugal; we've never squandered large sums on pointless merchandise. Well, except condoms. A lot of good those did.

iPhone Jones: The 5 Reasons Every Parent Needs One

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 05:02:00 GMT

Steve Jobs gave the world a sneak-peak of the new and much-anticipated iPhone today during the keynote address of this year's MacWorld conference in San Francisco. Mixed reviews aside, I want. I don't even care what it does. It's thin and it's shiny and it must be mine.

An iPhone would make my life as a parent so much easier. You don't believe me? Here are five reasons why (as my toddler would say) I neeeeed it.

It has a 320 x 480 touch screen, built-in wi-fi, Bluetooth compatibility, and a full-touch keyboard. Now while I am waiting to pick up my daughter in school or sitting in the car with a toddler passed out in her carseat, I can (steal wireless and) check email or post to my blog without going blind. Also, when I go to the park, I'll ~~have something to do cuz ain't nothing more boring than having to watch my kids go down the curly slide for the thousandth time~~ look like all the dads.
It has a 2 megapixel camera and the high end model boasts 8GBs of storage. That's plenty of space to store my grainy pictures of soccer dads losing their shit, nannies behaving badly, or cheerleaders acting like strippers...and photos of my kids, of course.
There's no crap specialized mobile phone OS; this baby runs on Mac OS X. Have you tried browsing with the phone you have now? I'm all for anything that removes stress and frustration from my life. And (bonus!) an exclusive partnership with Cingular means I can trade in my shitty Razr (hopefully?) and keep my number.
iTunes integration. Music anytime, anywhere without having to carry an extra gadget. The iPhone will even display album artwork of songs being played. Kids acting up in a restaurant? Chill out to Laurie Berkner or listen to an audio book.
It's a video iPod, too, and you know what that means: "Dick in a Box" anytime, anywhere.*

* Okay, that last one might not make my parenting life easier, but I wouldn't mind being in the middle of a tasty JT-Andy Samberg sandwich...even if they are chanelling Color Me Badd. Hey, if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

The Family That Logs On Together ... Oh I Forget

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 23:00:00 GMT

What's easier -- jotting down a daily to-do list and sticking it on the fridge? Or logging on to your computer to find out what events you have planned that day? A growing number of online parenting calendar businesses are hoping the latter.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's "Working Dad" Paul Nyhan explores the burgeoning field of virtual parenting calendars like Cozi, Famundo, Fircle, Parentorganizer and even Google Calendar. "This year, a new generation of online family tools, including Seattle-based Cozi Central, hopes to fulfill this annual promise with one-stop Web sites that offer a calendar, message center, contacts, to-do lists and even a slide show," Nyhan writes.

Are you freaking kidding me? These companies aren't living in the virtual world. They're living in Fantasyland. On many days, I don't have time to shower in the morning. (What a lovely play date companion I am.) I don't want to waste precious parent sleep time logging onto my computer to check the time of a doctor's appointment when simply glancing at my hand written to-do list will accomplish the same thing. Come back to me in a few years when I have nine kids playing nine different sports, and I might change my tune. (Or my contraception.) Or I might just buy a whiteboard and a mess of markers.

Wrap It Up: Make Your Own Paper iPod Cover

Patti — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:00:00 GMT

It's the default gift for nearly every occasion: the iPod. If you aren't buying one for someone for the holiday this year, you probably bought one last year. Or you bought one for Mother's or Father's Day, or someone's graduation, or for your dad on his 60th birthday, since he finally figured out how to rip his Elvis CD's. You can have them engraved, of course, but how else to personalize something that everyone has? That some of us have more than one of, even?

iPapercraft is a free online tool that allows you to upload an image and have it formatted to fit the iPod model of your choice, then have it generated as a .pdf that you can print out. Cut along the lines and fold it around your player, and you have a gift that's just a little more personal.

Playing around with it, I quickly discovered that image is everything--or image choice, in this case. A family photo resulted in a cover that would have decapitated us all had I taken the Exacto knife to it, but more artsy shots (sunsets, ocean waves) proved very adaptable to the form, and a picture of my husband's beloved vintage car was even better. But when you generate a cover using a scan or digital photo of your childrens' artwork, then you've got something worthy of a grandparent. And then you can explain to Mom exactly why it is, again, that she's going to love this iPod so much ("but Ma, we've already loaded it with Neil Diamond's Greatest Hits! And look: a picture of you that the baby drew, with a giant head!").

(via Boing Boing. Photo credit Ryan Stewart)