Smart stroller is halfway to robot nanny

Features include an electric engine that will be able to push the stroller while keeping it the perfect distance from parents, the ability fold at the touch of a button and a system to rock your baby to sleep.

"I am the father of twins," says serial entrepreneur Guillermo Morro, maker of the SmartBe, "and I know how uncomfortable it is to push an ordinary stroller through snow in Manhattan, up hills in San Francisco or jog along the path through the heat and humidity of Miami." So, Morro set out to design a better stroller, one that combines all the greatest technology to give parents and babies a better experience.

Smartbe - which is available through Indiegogo beginning January 19th - will be sold for between $900 and $2,900 dollars depending upon the features included. Every stroller can go from a single to a double without additional cost. 

Additional SmartBe features include a basinet or seat with three automated canopies that roll down to protect the baby from the elements, insects and UV rays; a climate controlled environment; the ability to vibrate and rock to help babies fall asleep; and bluetooth speakers to play music coming from your smartphone. 

SmartBe is also the first self-propelled stroller. Turn on the self-propelled mode and the stroller will always stay within hands reach in front of you, even if you are jogging or running using an array of sensors. Assist-control mode allows you to continue to push the stroller, but the battery operated engines will do all the work making the whole stroller appear weightless and able to be pushed easily with one hand no matter how loaded it is with groceries or other items, even if you are walking up a steep street. 

"Think of what mothers have to do when out with their babies," says Morro, "parents need a new concept." SmartBe contains a bottle warmer, a locker with a key to protect valuables, a webcam as well as a microphone to continually see and hear your baby through a smartphone app. With SmartBe, you can keep an eye on your baby even if she is asleep in the next room while you visit with a friend. "This new category stroller is like an entire nursery on wheels."

Safety has been a top priority from the very beginning" added Morro. "A central processing unit continually moniors every component of the stroller and locks the wheels in case of any malfunction. When in self-propelled mode, a single tap on the handle bar freezes the stroller. Also, if the stroller goes beyond hand distance it automatically slows or stops.

The SmartBe team includes experts in industrial design, robotics, electronics, mechanical engineering, and product engineering. Guillermo Morro explains that all the technologies being used in SmartBe have already been used in other industries, but are being applied to create not only any industry disrupting stroller design, but also a stylish, minimalist device designed to fit every parent's needs. "SmartBe is not new technology from the future," says Morro, "it just feels that way."