[AutonomousVehicles] company announces self driving stroller at CES

[Cornelius Butler]

Hi Everyone,
A company announced today at CES that it has created a self driving
stroller. It will cost $3,300.

Article Link and text are below.

Article Link:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/04/tech/self-driving-stroller-ces/index.html

Article Text:

A $3,300 self-driving stroller is at this year’s CES. Are parents ready?
By Jennifer Korn, CNN
Published 4:37 PM EST, Wed January 4, 2023

Hang onto your baby bonnets: Self-driving technology is coming to strollers.

Canadian-based baby gear startup Gluxkind was showing off its Ella AI
Powered Smart Stroller at this year’s CES, the consumer electronics show in
Las Vegas that offers some of the most cutting edge – and out-there – new
technologies.

The smart stroller offers much of the same tech seen in autonomous cars and
delivery robots, including a dual-motor system for uphill walks and
automatic downhill brake assist. Like a Tesla with “Autopilot,” the
Gluxkind’s stroller’s onboard technolgy has sensors that detect objects
around it – but it’s meant to serve as an “extra pairs of eyes and an extra
set of hands,” according to the company’s website – not a replacement for a
caregiver.

The Ella stroller is able to drive itself for hands-free strolling – but
only when a child is not inside. It uses cameras to monitor surroundings
and navigate the sidewalks.

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

In another demo, a child is tired of sitting in the stroller and wants to
be carried. The Ella strolls itself while the parent carries the child.

Still self-driving technology isn’t totally proven and certainly not ready
for prime time. Although companies that have implemented the technology in
cars say they add 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 put additional stroller-specific features
into the Ella including “Automatic Rock-My-Baby” and a built-in white noise
machine to soothe sleeping toddlers. The entire system is outfitted with a
car seat, infant bassinet and toddler seat.

“The development has been driven by our own experience as new parents.,”
Anne Hunger, Gluxkind CPO and co-founder, wrote in a November press
release. “We’ve put a lot of hard work into this product and are excited to
get it into more customers’ hands in 2023.”

For $3,300, parents can join the pre-order list for the 30-pound Ella, one
of the consumer tech products named as an Innovation Awards Honoree at the
2023 CES show. Deliveries of the stroller are expected to begin in April
2023, according to the company websit
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