Consumer goods giant- Procter and Gamble (P&G) recently announced their entry into the smart diaper market with the launch of Lumi. Designed in conjunction with Google’s sister company, Verily, the new brand of smart diaper is capable of monitoring babies’ sleeping patterns as well as tracking their pee. Unlike most smart diapers in the market, Lumi aims to do more than just tell you if your baby’s diaper is wet. According to the manufacturers, the system has been designed to be as expansive as possible. And the overall goal is to make your baby’s first year easy for you by providing as much data as you can get.
What makes up the Lumi system?
Lumi comprises of an integrated system that includes:
- Two activity sensors
- One Logitech camera
- A mobile application that records all the data
The activity sensors
The activity sensors are chiefly responsible for tracking the wetness of babies’ diapers and monitoring their sleep patterns. The sensors are battery-powered and each of them is attached to a patch at the base of the diapers. The average battery life according to the manufacturers is 3 months. The sensors are optimized to detect wet environments and they send the information recorded to the application. But they do much more than telling you your baby needs a diaper change.
The ability of Lumi sensors to track baby’s sleep patterns is perhaps the most exciting thing about them. They monitor when babies sleep and for how long. With the information provided, you can establish a baseline pattern for your child and easily detect changes in routine. Thus, you can intervene whenever necessary. The information provided by the sensors could also be useful in charting feeding times for your baby. Furthermore, you can set milestones that would help you understand changes in your child’s routine.
A downside of the Lumi sensors is that they are specially designed to work with Lumi diapers. Most other smart diaper sensors in the market can be attached to virtually all types of diapers. Obviously, the Lumi strategy is to promote the sales of their brand of diapers, and there’s little indication to suggest it won’t work. They already have the marketing clout and their smart diapers offer more.
Logitech camera: the eye of the diaper
The Logitech camera works as the WiFi monitor and it provides a wide-angle HD view of your nursery. In addition to the video feed, it can also help monitor the temperature and humidity in the nursery. Furthermore, it’s responsible for transferring the activities recorded by the sensor to the Lumia app.
As with any WiFi monitor, the security of the camera is a concern for many potential users. Pampers relies on Logitech’s encrypted video platform while also encouraging users to take certain steps to enhance the security of their WiFi networks.
The Lumi mobile app
The Lumi mobile application takes the guesswork out of monitoring your baby’s sleep and behavior patterns. Parents and physicians alike recognize the importance of data tracking in newborns. It lets you know when your baby is going through a growth stage, when your baby is constipated or sick, among other essential information. However, a major con of Lumi and the app is that the diapers top out at size four. They may not be useful beyond your child’s first birthday.
Pricing info
Lumi will go on sale in the United States this autumn. The selling price is still unknown but the company promises the price of the diapers would be similar to the price of other diapers in the Pampers line. The Lumi system would come with two packs of diapers.
