Ford's Crib Concept Tricks Babies Into Falling Asleep If your kid is prone to falling asleep during a car ride, this crib could save you a lot of time -- if you can get one, that is.
By Tom Brant
This story originally appeared on PCMag
Riding around in a car is often a great way to put your child to sleep, but it's not like you can just request an Uber and send your infant on her way: you have to drive her yourself.
Or, you could put her in a concept crib from Ford. The Max Motor Dreams is a marketing gimmick designed to help sell more Ford Max vehicles to families in Europe, but if it actually works, it could be a huge timesaver for beleaguered parents.
It's a very stylish crib, which would likely blend into the decor of any Ikea-furnished home, even with its splash of wood panelling that vaguely evokes an old Woodie. Inside, the technology has three components to induce a child to sleep: speakers in the crib's base that recreate the sound of a car engine, a movement mechanism that simulates the motion of a car journey and LEDs around the crib's edge to reproduce the fleeting light effects of driving through a city at night.
Everything is controlled via a smartphone app, so once your baby finally does conk out, you can turn off the lights, sound and motion. In a video showing off the technology, Ford described its design process, which involved taking actual movement data from a car journey and incorporating it into the crib's computer.
Unfortunately you can can't just go out and buy one. You have to make an appointment to test drive a Ford in Spain, and once you complete the test drive, you'll be entered into a raffle. It's unclear how many there are, or whether Ford plans to offer them for sale in the U.S.
