Crib monitor goes beyond sight, sound

(Credit: BebeSounds)

Baby monitors have come a long way in the last decade, as manufacturers try everything from designer models to night-vision cameras to distance themselves from the crowd. But BebeSounds has an entirely different way of keeping tabs on your baby--by movement instead of only sight or sound.

The "Angelcare Movement Sensor" tracks movements through a wireless pad under the crib's mattress. The pad's sensors detect movement (or lack thereof) and send the data to nearby transmitters, which in turn provide audio and visual information for a remote device that parents can carry around the house.

Monitoring movement might not seem necessary at first, but Boing Boing points out that this system could help detect issues related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, whose causes remain unknown but are believed by some to be related to lack of oxygen. Like other products such as the "KickTrak," which tracks baby movement in the womb, the Angelcare monitor is designed to provide an early-warning system.