Artificial Intelligence is taking over everything, and it’s coming for your baby strollers next. Canadian-based company Glüxkind wants to help “parents with sky-high standards” make pushing a baby stroller a walk in the park. Promising “a new strolling experience” that is “reimagined to support your family every step of the way”, the CES 2023 Innovation Honoree award-winning Glüxkind AI Stroller, lovingly named Ella, with its hands-free navigation and baby-centric features, can be yours for the low-low price of USD$3,300 (AUD$4,789.79). With deliveries of the stroller expected to roll out the door in April 2023, pushing a pram is approaching a paradigm shift.
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Ella Smart AI Stroller | Image: Glüxkind
In 2020, new parents Anne Hunger and Kevin Huang, the creators of the Vancouver-based baby gear firm GlüxKind, began formulating a revolutionary new baby stroller that would “support new parents on their daily adventures, be more inclusive and enable families to spend quality time together.”
According to Kevin Huang, Glüxkind co-founder and CEO, the aim of Ella is “to make parenting easier, starting with the key piece of equipment, the baby stroller. We want to embolden parents to create their own paths on their parenting journey.”
So what exactly has Glüxkind done to make parenting easier? According to the product website, the AI baby stroller is designed and optimised for real, daily life, not the showroom, and features an adaptive push and brake assistance system for “effortless walks regardless of terrain, uphill, downhill,” no matter how much you’re carrying.
Ella Smart AI Stroller | Image: Glüxkind
Powered by a dual motor engine, this Advanced Parent Assist System is described as the perfect blend of comfort and convenience, ensuring babies’ and parents’ wellbeing. Essentially, Ella is always within arm’s reach thanks to an Automatic Parking and multi-level braking system: the pram constantly adapts to your walking speed, and when you stop, Ella stops.
Moreover, Ella brings extra peace of mind through its 360° Safety Bubble, which operates similarly to the parking sensors on a car. Designed as an extra set of eyes, the safety bubble monitors the surroundings and alerts you of potential dangers like cars, bikes, and scooters.
Ella even has a Hands-Free mode (currently in beta) designed for babies who want out of the stroller. “When your child is not in the stroller, and the stroller is unoccupied, Ella gives you the freedom to do what you need to do while she strolls on the sidewalk with you, at your pace.” And it’s all supported by the array of safety features we mentioned above. So there’s no need to worry about your AI stroller going rogue.
Imagine if this stroller was around when Battleship Potemkin was filmed in 1925, and maybe the Odessa steps sequence would’ve ended differently. Anyone unfamiliar with this classic piece of Russian cinema would have seen this scene parodied in 1994’s Naked Gun 33 1/3, with four prams instead of one. But that only takes care of the mobility side of pushing a pram. What about your little bundle of joy? They’re secured in the stroller via a five-point harness and a magnetic buckle, so they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.
Ella Smart AI Stroller app | Image: Glüxkind
Plus, they’re likely to stay asleep a little longer thanks to the smooth rocking feature that mimics a moving stroller. And if that doesn’t work, the integrated white noise machine is the lullaby you didn’t know you needed. Best of all, everything from volume to a selection of soothing sounds can be controlled via the companion app. You can even track the precise location of your Ella stroller through the app’s Find-My-Baby feature, which is especially handy if you aren’t the one pushing the pram.
If you’re interested in receiving the “founders edition” Glüxkind AI-powered smart stroller once they start shipping in April, parents need to shell out a refundable USD$200 (AUD$290.29) deposit on the USD$3,300 (AUD$4,789.79) price tag. The stroller is on display at this year’s consumer electronics show after winning the CES 2023 Innovation Award and receiving the top score in the Vehicle Tech and Advanced Mobility category.
