A teddy bear that measures heart rate, temperature and blood-oxygen level when a child hugs or plays with it was one of the more engaging startup products on show at the Tech Crunch Disrupt show here in the German capital. Called Teddy the Guardian, the toy is the work of two young entrepreneurs, Ana Burica and Josipa Majic, both graduate students at the University of Zagreb, Croatia.
“It is a pediatrician tool,” said Ms. Majic. “It helps nurses to get data in a way that is friendly for the child so the data does not get skewed by the child being stressed.” But alongside the medical uses, Ms. Majic said there is perhaps an even bigger market for the toy among parents, and particularly first-time parents, worried about their child’s health and development.
“The demand comes from the consumer demand,” she said. “We started taking preorders in July and since then we have had €500,000 [$689,000] in preorders.”
There are two main sensors, one in each arm, and a secure data-communication unit in the teddy’s stomach. The outer surface of the bear is removable and washable. “In a hospital, it has to be able to stand washing at 90°C to prevent cross contamination,” she said.Data can be shared among parents to allow anxious parents to compare their child’s readings with others.
In order to make the bear more likely to be adopted by a child (the target age range is 2 to 6), the bear can also play your child’s favorite song. The song can be changed and controlled via an app on a smartphone.
The medical version will be sold to hospitals for €169. Pricing for the consumer version has yet to be determined.
“It is a pediatrician tool,” said Ms. Majic. “It helps nurses to get data in a way that is friendly for the child so the data does not get skewed by the child being stressed.” But alongside the medical uses, Ms. Majic said there is perhaps an even bigger market for the toy among parents, and particularly first-time parents, worried about their child’s health and development.
“The demand comes from the consumer demand,” she said. “We started taking preorders in July and since then we have had €500,000 [$689,000] in preorders.”
There are two main sensors, one in each arm, and a secure data-communication unit in the teddy’s stomach. The outer surface of the bear is removable and washable. “In a hospital, it has to be able to stand washing at 90°C to prevent cross contamination,” she said.Data can be shared among parents to allow anxious parents to compare their child’s readings with others.
In order to make the bear more likely to be adopted by a child (the target age range is 2 to 6), the bear can also play your child’s favorite song. The song can be changed and controlled via an app on a smartphone.
The medical version will be sold to hospitals for €169. Pricing for the consumer version has yet to be determined.
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