This Stroller Can Push Itself – Would You Try It?

photo: Igor Gabrielar via YouTube

In case your stroller is too much of a nuisance to push, a new “Smart Stroller” is offering to take over and do the pushing for you. The SmartBe stroller, which was fully funded by IndieGogo, lets you to walk or run, hands-free, while the stroller cruises all by itself.

“Introducing the Smartbe, the first intelligent stroller in the world which solves all your needs, as well as your babies'” says the commercial, (which, by the way, makes the contraption look totally creepy in a cool, high-tech way).

The stroller has a motion tracking sensor system that allows it to follow the user’s movements, whether he or she is going backward or forward, running or walking; it does this by communicating with a watch-sized device worn around the user’s wrist. From afar, it looks like the parent is just running a foot or two behind while the stroller zooms forward like a rolling robot.

We can’t decide whether it’s awesome or terrifying, but if you’re wary of letting a machine take your baby for a ride, you can just use the “assist propelled mode,” which, basically, moves the stroller forward for you, so all you have to do is hold the handle and steer (this would be great on steep hills). Even simpler, the “Manual Navigation” mode lets you push and control the stroller just like you would any other, without any help from the engine.

Aside from its self-driving and motorized capabilities, the Smartbe also has some pretty impressive features, including climate control, a bottle warmer, an onboard video camera, baby lullaby music and an automated canopy. These features can all be controlled by the Smartbe app.

photo: Igor Gabrielar via YouTube

“We have applied the greatest advances in technology and safety standards answering both parents and babies’ needs,” founder Guillermo Morro said in the Smartbe’s promotional video, which is posted to its website. “We are an advanced team of designers, engineers, and technologists offering a cutting-edge solution to our most-loved ones.”

If this all sounds pretty expensive — it is! The starting price for the stroller is $3,199.

Want one? You’re going to have to wait. While the Smartbe was fully funded by its backers in 2016, a recent update notified customers that manufacturing has been delayed.

For more information, check out the Smartbe website.

Would you try a self-driving stroller? Why or Why not? Tell us in the comments below.