by Joyce Slaton posted in Products & Prizes

Of all the shocking changes that take place post-birth, the sheer lack of sleep might be the worst. Sleeping in patchy, frequently interrupted snatches for weeks on end can make even the zestiest person morph into a dried-out mummy. This is exactly the reason that if you compare photos of you and your partner-spouse before you had your first child and one year later, you will find that you aged not a mere 12 months, but instead 10,000 years. You aged like a President.
So when we heard about the Snoo and what it can do, we were listening. This Wall Street Journal video probably shows it off best.

Here's what you're seeing: three hidden microphones are using triangulation to detect a baby's cry. The cry is analyzed, and then hidden speakers play white noise while the bassinet's bed rotates back and forth at one of three levels of intensity -- loud white noise and fast jiggling for strong crying, and broad, slow movements and rumbly sounds (the kinds that send even adults to sleep on cars and trains) for less-intense fussing. A strapped-in sleepsuit keeps the babies safely on their backs despite the movement. If the baby keeps crying after 3 minutes, the bassinet turns off the bells and whistles entirely, and summons the parent via the bassinet's app, assuming that the baby needs human intervention such as a diaper change or a feed. Otherwise, the app reassures parents that all is well.
"We essentially designed a robot th...