Nissan designs an interactive in-car playmate for fussy babies to help parents & prevent distracted driving incidents
AN automaker has designed a safety feature that would keep a driver's eyes on the road, even when a baby is crying in the back seat.
A screenless and fuzzy driving solution for an unsettled baby is coming soon.
Iruyo, a hairy and red interactive doll created by Nissan, is being tested as a way to help entertain a baby while parents are driving to reduce distraction while behind the wheel, reported Autoblog.
Research provided by Nissan showed that 80 percent of parents who have responded to a customer survey admitted to not being able to soothe a crying child while crying, providing a major distraction.
There are two sizes - a larger intelligent doll, or a smaller one named Baby Iruyo that correspond to each other to bridge the gap between a concerned parent and a grumpy baby.
It is designed to be placed in an infant's direct line of sight of an infant in a rear-facing position and can record and playback sounds from parents through the Baby Iruyo to help soothe crying babies.
Intelligent sensors in the doll can even recognize certain facial expressions, play peek-a-boo with a child, and wave.
If the parent sings, Baby Iruyo will transmit the audio to the Iruyo doll facing their precious cargo and move and dance according to the melody of the song.
When the doll senses that the baby is asleep, it will stop making noise to keep the baby asleep and the Baby Iruyo that rides with the parents upfront will close its eyes to silently alert the parent that their child is asleep.
Currently, Iruyo and Baby Iruyo are still testing the system in Japan and will improve the dolls based on customer feedback.
So far, reviews for the two fuzzy dolls have been positive.
Nissan reported that 90 percent of infants paid close attention to Iruyo and that over half of the test population responded positively to Iruyo's movements and responses.
Iruyo can even be customized to wear a beanie or a scarf.
Iruyo is just one of many baby-centric technologies coming to modern cars, though the doll system is the first to focus on soothing babies to keep parents from reaching into the back.
Some toys can be hung from the car seat to help entertain a baby, though those don't directly interact and play with a child.
Mirrors are helpful to keep a driver's eye on their baby, though they can promote distracted driving by constantly checking them.
So far, a release date for Iruyo to be available to American drivers has yet to be confirmed, though the dolls are highly praised in Japan.