As every new parent quickly learns, one of the best ways to stop a baby crying is to rock him or her to sleep.

But from May this year, an electromechanical rocker could relieve parents of the task of keeping a restive infant rocking for many hours on end. The Robopax BabySitter from Dream Technology in the UK is essentially a motorised plastic platform that moves back and forth a few centimetres on hidden wheels.



The BabySitter stands on the floor and is broad enough for a pram, buggy (stroller) or baby’s car seat to be placed on top. The device then reciprocates at about 66 rocks per minute, roughly in time with a resting heartbeat and the speed at which people instinctively rock their child. The launch commercialises an idea that was well received by parents when it was aired at an innovation exhibition in the UK in 2000.



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