An iPhone application which claims to be able to tell parents exactly why their baby is crying has been launched.
Apparently the device takes just ten seconds to deduce what the problem is with your yelling child. Which sounds pretty impressive.
The Cry Translator distinguishes between five emotional or physiological states - hunger, fatigue, annoyance, stress or boredom.
Creators say these five cries are universal to all babies regardless of culture or language.
All you have to do is place the iPhone about a foot from the crying baby and touch the "Start" button.
Ok. I see a problem right there. If I put my phone a foot away from my crying baby, she will try to eat the phone.
However, the company, Biloop Technologic, based in Barcelona, says there has been phenomenal demand for the application since it was featured on American TV this week.
The creators claim that the application has a 96 per cent degree of accuracy. After the cry has been identified, it also gives you tips on how to deal with your baby.
The Mail says one parent on the company's website was amazed at how a soiled nappy was detected. I would have thought a brief sniff would be quicker and easier.
The application also doesn't mention how to recognise if a baby is ill. But if you're relying on a phone to tell you when your baby's ill, you're probably in trouble.
A clinical trial apparently tested 104 children and found that when the suggestions given by the device were followed, 96 per cent of the babies stopped crying.
I can see how this device MIGHT work for a very young baby. There usually are very limited, simple reasons why a newborn is crying.
But with an older baby, things are more complicated. My nine-month-old cries for all sorts of reasons, including her inability to get through closed doors and my inability to tell whether she wants me to read The Gruffalo or The Tiger Who Came To Tea.
Do you think this application will work? Has anyone tried it?
Source: Daily Mail