Babysense 5 Breathing and Movement Monitor
Motion Sensor
2014-2015 (manufactured)
2014-2015 (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is not a motion sensor in the familiar sense (i.e. a burglar alarm), rather it is calibrated to detect when an infant ceases its movements. The sensor is mounted beneath the baby’s cot, its visual or auditory alarm is activated if the baby’s breathing stops or becomes irregularly slow. Baby motion sensors have been available since 1992. The product is somewhat medical- technological in its appearance, in-line with the packaging’s assertion that it is ‘medically certified’.
Objects such as this reveal much about the anxiety of new parents when caring for very young children, and how manufacturers create products in response to this anxiety which are designed to ease parents’ fears. On another thread, the development of these products raises questions of whether these sorts of expensive product are really strictly necessary outside of the medical environment, and whether they ease or heighten the anxieties of parents.
Objects such as this reveal much about the anxiety of new parents when caring for very young children, and how manufacturers create products in response to this anxiety which are designed to ease parents’ fears. On another thread, the development of these products raises questions of whether these sorts of expensive product are really strictly necessary outside of the medical environment, and whether they ease or heighten the anxieties of parents.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 7 parts.
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| Title | Babysense 5 Breathing and Movement Monitor (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Plastic, metal; printed paper |
| Brief description | Infant breathing and movement monitor, 'Babysense 5', Binatone, UK, 2014-2015 |
| Physical description | Infant movement and breathing sensor, consisting of a control unit, two sensor pads, two mounts for the control unit, user guide and box. 1. Control unit with inbuilt loudspeaker. Its form is backward-curving and roughly teardrop-shaped, its upper part has a black plastic panel with a central white plastic button. The loudspeaker is mounted where the unit curves forwards. On the reverse is the battery cover and two sockets for the movement sensor pads. 2 & 3. Two movement sensor pads, each a disc of white plastic with a projecting power lead. 4. Holder for mounting the control unit, a white plastic square with a hollow centre connecting to an upright section pierced with two holes. A toothed projection emerges horizontally, to which the control unit may be fastened. 5. White plastic wall-hook for control unit. 6. Printed paper instruction manual. 7. Printed card box. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Object history | Purchased by the MoC in 2015 [2015/516]. |
| Summary | This is not a motion sensor in the familiar sense (i.e. a burglar alarm), rather it is calibrated to detect when an infant ceases its movements. The sensor is mounted beneath the baby’s cot, its visual or auditory alarm is activated if the baby’s breathing stops or becomes irregularly slow. Baby motion sensors have been available since 1992. The product is somewhat medical- technological in its appearance, in-line with the packaging’s assertion that it is ‘medically certified’. Objects such as this reveal much about the anxiety of new parents when caring for very young children, and how manufacturers create products in response to this anxiety which are designed to ease parents’ fears. On another thread, the development of these products raises questions of whether these sorts of expensive product are really strictly necessary outside of the medical environment, and whether they ease or heighten the anxieties of parents. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.92-2015 |
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| Record created | April 18, 2016 |
| Record URL |
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