Google has revealed plans for a ‘remote babysitter’ service that uses cameras and motion sensors to alert parents when their child is in danger.
The technology firm has outlined a series of ‘devices and methods for protecting unattended children in the home’ in a new patent.
The smart home system would use a series of sensors to tell if an infant has been left alone for more than 10 minutes, and then send a text or email to parents.
It would use its sensors to shut off plug sockets when a child gets near, and lock digital doors to prevent them from escaping a room, according to the patent.
Google has plans for a ‘remoter babysitter’ service that uses cameras and motion sensors to alert parents when their child is in danger. The technology firm has outlined a series of ‘devices and methods for protecting unattended children in the home’ in a new patent (stock image)
Other features include blinking lights and audio warnings such as: ‘Toddler unattended’ in a certain room, ‘Your child is approaching an electrical outlet,’ and ‘Your child is alone for 10 minutes.’
The service is designed as a back-up for the rare moments when children are left alone during an accident or emergency, Google said.
‘Typically these hazards are avoided by not leaving children unattended in the first place,’ the firm wrote in its patent.
‘However, there may be situations where children are left unattended within the home due to circumstances beyond a parent or guardian’s control.
‘In these situations, the parent or guardian may not have had the opportunity to make safe those potentially hazardous elements, thus putting the unattended children at risk.’
The system described in the patent would take advantage of the recent boom in ‘smart’ home devices.
These include electrical sockets that can be controlled by a smartphone and internet-connected doorbells, cameras and motion sensors.
Each feature could be controlled by Google’s ‘Home’ mini-speaker, according to the Evening Standard.
It would be designed to give parents peace of mind when leaving their child in another room or with an inexperienced babysitter.
Smart home devices such as electrical sockets that can be controlled by a smartphone and internet-connected doorbells, cameras and motion sensors would feature in the new system. Each device could be controlled by Google’s ‘Home’ mini-speaker
The smart home system would use a series of sensors to tell if an infant has been left alone for more than 10 minutes, and then send a text or email to parents. The system would also use sensors to shut off plug sockets and lock digital doors to protect children (stock image)
Google has said there is no guarantee it will market the technology.
‘We hold patents on a variety of ideas – some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don’t,’ a spokesperson said.
‘Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patents.’