Many of us are all too familiar with waking up dozens of times a night to check on our little ones, and these parents knew there had to be a better solution available. There were smart coffee machines, fitness trackers, cars that let us know when it needs an oil change but no technology to tell you what your baby can’t.
This desire for a better way to know your baby is okay led to the prototype of the Owlet Smart Sock, an infant wearable monitor, wrapped softly around a baby’s foot that tracks heart rate and oxygen levels while the baby sleeps. The team won the University contest and soon after received hundreds of requests from parents around the world begging to buy the prototype. Today the Owlet Smart Sock is trusted by nearly 200,000 parents and quickly expanding worldwide.
Owlet is a health and wellness device that provides insights into your little one’s well being that you can’t get through traditional monitors, like audio and video monitors. Owlet’s mission is to better care for babies in the home, by empowering parents with the right information at the right time.
The Owlet Smart Sock uses a technology called pulse oximetry — it’s been around for decades and many know it as the little red light they clip on the finger at the doctor’s office. Owlet miniaturised this technology and made it wireless to be worn in a snuggly sock on the baby’s foot while they sleep. The Smart Sock tracks heart rate and oxygen levels and sends this information via Bluetooth to a nearby Base Station, which has lights and sounds to notify you if something appears to be wrong. The Base Station also sends this information to an app, via Wi-Fi and the cloud, so Mum and Dad can view live readings right from their smartphone, whether they’re down the hall or around the world.
Owlet Smart Sock product has been honoured by numerous organisations for its innovation and world-changing impact. The product became available in Australia last month, and stories are already pouring in, sharing the impact and positive feedback on how it’s helping parents and their babies’ lives. Parenting isn’t an easy job, but having the right information available to you can make it a little better. Technologies, like the Smart Sock, are here to help.
Written by Jane Putnam
