A $3,300 autonomous stroller is at CES this year. Are parents ready? | CNN Business

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Hang on to your baby caps: Self-driving technology is coming to strollers.

Canadian baby gear startup Gluxkind showed off its Ella AI smart stroller at this year’s CES, the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas that features some of the most cutting-edge and innovative new technology.

The smart stroller offers much of the same technology seen in self-driving cars and delivery robots, including a dual-motor system for uphill walks and automatic braking assistance when going downhill. Like a Tesla with “Autopilot,” the tech on board Gluxkind’s stroller has sensors that detect objects around it, but it’s meant to serve as “an extra pair of eyes and an extra pair of hands,” according to the site company website, not a replacement. for a caregiver.

The Ella stroller is capable of driving itself for hands-free strolls, but only when there is no child in it. Use cameras to monitor the environment and navigate the sidewalks.

For parents who are probably nervous and understandably nervous about putting their baby in a stroller with a mind of their own, Gluxkind provided a YouTube video with some use cases. A parent walking a stroller down a hill rushes to save a child’s falling toy that is rolling. The stroller brakes on its own.

In another demonstration, a child is tired of sitting in the stroller and wants to be taken away. Ella walks while the father carries the child.

Still, self-driving technology isn’t fully proven, and it’s certainly not ready for prime time. While companies that have implemented the technology in cars say it adds an element of safety when used properly and the driver is paying attention, putting children in the care of AI may not be for everyone.

Gluxkind, founded in 2020, also incorporated additional stroller-specific features into the Ella, such as “Automatic Rock-My-Baby” and a built-in white noise machine to soothe sleeping toddlers. The entire system is equipped with a car seat, a crib and a toddler seat.

“Development has been driven by our own experience as new parents,” Anne Hunger, CPO and co-founder of Gluxkind, wrote in a November press release. “We’ve worked really hard on this product and we’re excited to get it into the hands of more customers in 2023.”

For $3,300, parents can join the pre-order list for the 30-pound Ella, one of the consumer tech products nominated for innovation awards at CES 2023. Deliveries of the stroller will begin in April 2023, according to the company’s website.