Vancouver startup Glüxkind Technologies has unveiled a pram for babies at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which uses artificial intelligence to push and rock itself.
The Ella stroller has the dimensions of a traditional stroller with a reversible seat, but is battery-powered and integrated with artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
This allows it to offer adaptive push and break assistance, making both up- and downhill journeys easier for parents and childminders despite the weight of a fully loaded pram.
The product also features built-in white noise playback and a rock-my-baby mode, which according to Glüxkind Technologies can be activated when Ella is stationary in order to emulate the "soothing" nature of manual rocking without the effort.
Meanwhile, Ella's self-driving capabilities allow the pram to travel without being steered if a parent or childminder wants to engage with the child while on the move.
"[The product's] innovations give parents almost a nanny-like experience," Glüxkind Technologies explained.
Conceived in a neutral black and grey colourway, the pram is the startup's debut product and was designed to make "gear for today's families safer, more inclusive and convenient for all".
The design was unveiled last week at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), where it was honoured in the advanced mobility category of the annual CES Innovation Awards.
Founded in 2020 by Anne Hunger and Kevin Huang after welcoming their first child and searching for the optimum pram, Glüxkind Technologies takes its name from the German word glückskind, which translates as "lucky child".
Other projects showcased at this year's edition of CES include a car by Honda and Sony that functions as a "moving entertainment space" and a concept car by BMW that can change into 32 different colours.
Designers are increasingly exploring the potential of AI in their work, with recent projects including IKEA furniture created to adapt to the needs of its user and a wearable voicebox that can produce speech for those who have lost their larynx to cancer.
The images are courtesy of Glüxkind Technologies.