Bizarre Tech: Star Trek baby monitor, baby in an orb and eClip

Intelligent baby monitor

Beam me up, baby.

Resembling the Star Trek Delta Insignia badge, the ADA is the brainchild (get it?!) of a Danish team of fathers, who are “building a new and modern version of the classic baby monitor”. Apparently, the ADA is intelligent, filters away unnecessary noise and gives you a better understanding of your baby’s sleeping patterns.

According to the makers of ADA, it recognises noises and can tell the difference between a baby’s crying and a dog’s barking. Well, if your baby cries like a dog then we got problems.

The monitor has a built-in sleep diary so you can see how your baby snoozes. ADA communicates what’s happening via an app on your smartphone. So, if your baby is creating a diabolical plan to take over the planet, as long as it’s not bawling its eyes out while doing so, you should be left in peace.

For ‘simplicity and elegance’, ADA doesn’t have a camera or talk-back function so you can’t watch your baby or tell them to put down the plans for world domination. “Damian, stop plotting the apocalypse and go to sleep!”

ADA is available in four colours (spring blossom, summer ocean, autumn leaves and winter pine), has low radiation compared to other baby monitors – what?! – and is made of food-grade, non-toxic silicone. It has a range of up to 700m, has a battery life of 200 hours, and is charged via USB.

For extra safety and so ADA can’t be hacked by creeps, the connection between the monitor and your phone is encrypted.

Earthling in a sphere

Sounds like a song from the Ziggy Stardust album, without the alien spiders.

CinkS labs, the company behind this bizarre sphere, has plugged it as “the development of a human baby shown in a new light”. Alrighty.

Called science art, it’s a laser etching into solid crystal glass, which is said to accurately depict the development of the human embryo, from teeny cell to a fully grown, ready to roll, baby.

The company says if you’re looking for a gift for any future parents, or you want to share pregnancy news with loved ones in a “very special way”, then this is the thing for you. Also, if you’re a sucker for the visual representation of the development of the human foetus, the Earthling Sphere is your jam.

CinkS labs GmbH was founded in 2017 to research, model and produce science-based art. The team laser-etch their three-dimensional models into crystal glass using the ‘highest precision’. Their previous campaigns followed the same specs, but instead of babies, they made the entire universe, the galaxies and stars, and microbes. Do they think they are gods?! Jeez.

The ‘lifelike’ visualisations illustrate the process of a growing bub in three dimensions, highlighting the inner and outer workings. The company offers the different milestones of a growing baby in various glass shapes and compositions. There’s a cube small enough to be popped in your pocket, a nine-piece set – suggested as a gift for a medical student (how about help with their ridiculous student loans instead?) – or a hefty 4.4kg Heavy Orb.

There’s also the 8cm sphere, in which you view the models from any angle, and everything is made from scratch-and-wear-resistant glass. Yippee.

eClip

“Oop, forgot the baby again. eClip: Helping to prevent babies from being left in cars.”

So, the eClip is designed to make sure you don’t leave wee Timmy in the back seat ever again.

I jest. To be honest, it’s pretty sad that there is a market for this kind of thing at all.

According to the team behind the gadget, accidently leaving a child in the car happens more often than you’d think – since records were taken in 1998, over 700 young children have unnecessarily died by being forgotten about in cars.

Apparently, forgetting your baby is in the car is a real thing and even has its own name: Forgotten Baby Syndrome... inventive.

Kids get left in vehicles, most accidental, some on purpose; whatever the case, there’s the obvious risk of them suffering from heat stroke.

Apparently, eClip is the first low-cost device that helps prevent parents and caregivers from accidentally leaving a young child in the back seat of the car. It uses low-energy Bluetooth and “advanced patent-pending technology”. Whatever that is.

The eClip is allegedly able to detect when you walk more than five metres (15ft) from your vehicle by alerting you through an interactive app on your smartphone. It’s also said to monitor the temperature in the car so it’s safe for the baby.  

You attach eClip to a car seat, regular seat belt or nappy bag. It comes with an accessory strap so you can attach it anywhere, and it stays securely attached. The on/off switch is child-proof so little fingers can’t fiddle with it, and there’s no wee bits on it so the kiddy won’t choke on anything.  

The eClip smartphone app will alert the caregiver if the temperature falls below or above the recommended range of 15-30°C. You can adjust the app temperature alert settings.

The eClip is made by Elepho, “the innovator of many devices and applications that help better the lives of everyone”, including wellness monitors and smart watches.