Did you feel it kick? New 'smart bracelet' allows expectant fathers to feel their unborn baby's movements
From in-depth fitness trackers to smart watches, there seems no end to what wearable technology is capable of in 2017. Now, a new 'smart bracelet' may just top the lot – by allowing an expectant father to feel their baby kicking.
Thanks to a wireless connection between a patch the mother wears on her bump and the device on the father's wrist, the Fibo bracelet, designed by Danish startup First Bond Wearables, claims to be able to accurately imitate the movements of a baby in the womb, thereby helping the father to feel more involved in pregnancy.
“While the mother gets the first-hand feeling of the little one growing in her belly, the dad can feel a bit left out,” Sandra Pétursdóttir from First Bond Wearables told Newsweek. “The mama is wearing a kick monitor patch – a technology produced by another startup – which detects the baby’s actions.”
“So when the baby kicks or moves, it sends a signal via GSM to an elegant smart bracelet that imitates the movements. The sharing happens instantly so the person wearing the wristband will feel the movement in real-time.”
Fibo has rotating beads that create a natural movement, rather than a sharp, unrealistic vibration. As well as transmitting the movements, the data recorded by the device can also be saved, creating a lasting memento of the baby even before birth.
“We’re focusing on shared experiences and the shared economy,” Pétursdóttir said. “By making Fibo, a device the parents rent during the pregnancy, an up-to-date technology and high-quality product can be guaranteed.”
Various companies have tried to help men feel more connected to their unborn children before. In 2013, nappy giants Huggies had a stab at helping men feel their partner's experience of carrying a baby (or just the good part, anyway) with a 'pregnancy band' that transmitted movement, while a Japanese company invented a pregnancy simulator in 2011. Neither was successful, leaving a gap in the market for Fibo.
No launch date has been set for Fibo as yet, but First Bond Wearables – who showed off their invention at the Polar Bear Pitching competition in Finland last week – hope to have it on the market in 2018.
