By Hannah Schenker
No matter how lovingly involved a father is, there are some things they simply cannot experience first-hand. Feeling the baby kicking is the closest they really come to feeling their baby in the womb.
A new smart bracelet is being developed by Danish jewellery designers First Bond Wearables that lets fathers-to-be feel the sensation of their unborn baby kicking in the womb.
The Fibo bracelet transmits a signal from the mother’s belly to metal balls within the device that mirror the movements in the belly.
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“The sharing happens instantly, so the person wearing the wristband will feel the movement in real-time,” Sandra Pétursdóttir from First Bond Wearables told Newsweek.
A wireless connection between a patch on the mother’s belly claims to accurately imitate the precise movements baby is making – whether it’s a hiccup or a stretch – for the father to experience through the bracelet.
“So when the baby kicks or moves, it sends a signal via GSM to an elegant smart bracelet that imitates the movements,” Pétursdóttir from First Bond Wearables says. “The sharing happens instantly so the person wearing the wristband will feel the movement in real-time.”
The Fibo uses rotating balls rather than vibration to create a more natural movement, and of course the data can be saved and stored.
It seems there is no end to the ways technology is advancing! Various companies have tried to create a similar experience, such as the Huggies pregnancy belt devised back in 2013 but was never brought on the market. The Fibo bracelet by First Bond Wearable was one of several start-ups showcasing their designs at the Polar Bear Pitching competition in Finland just last week. It may just make it to the market in 2018, so watch this space if you are a technology-fiend, even when it comes to your baby.
