Google’s working on a new baby monitor that could alert you before baby even wakes up

It’s still a work-in-progress, but Google’s new baby monitor could be a game-changer for tired parents.

As CNN reports, Google’s working on a device that would use artificial intelligence and eye-tracking technology to not just tell parents when baby has woken up, but also give parents a warning—up to 10 minutes before baby wakes—that the infant is in a “non-auditory discomfort state” and will wake up soon.

That could give parents time to grab a bottle, replace a pacifier, gently change a diaper or adjust baby’s sleep sack—basically deal with whatever problem is making baby uncomfortable and threatening to wake them.

This sounds too good to be true, honestly, and Google isn’t saying much about the invention, which came to light via a patent application. Google told CNN that “Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patent applications.”

Translation: Don’t get your hopes up just yet.

“We file patent applications on a variety of ideas that our employees come up with. Some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don’t,” a Google spokesperson said.

We are crossing our fingers that this one works out and that other tech companies consider how emerging tech could be used to help sleep-deprived parents. Pampers is already piquing parental interest with its line of “smart diapers” which sees a sensor connected to baby’s diaper alert a parent’s phone when baby’s diaper gets wet in the night.

Smart diapers and a smarter baby monitor? Sounds like tech may be helping us get some rest in the not-so-distant future.

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