B.C. company's AI-driven autonomous stroller turns heads at Las Vegas electronics show
A Vancouver company has rolled into the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with a head-turning invention it says will make life easier for new parents.
The Gluxkind Ella is the “smartest stroller in the world,” according to company co-founder Kevin Huang.
Huang and his wife Anne Hunger came up with the idea in 2020 while expecting their first child.
Less than three years later, they have a fully working stroller equipped with a self-propelled motor and sensors that provide a 360-degree field of vision.
"It's motor-assisted so you can think of it like an e-bike,” said Hunger, who serves as Gluxkind’s CEO. “You put a little bit of effort in but the stroller itself really does the heavy lifting."
When there is a child inside, the autonomous motor will only work if someone is touching the stroller’s handlebar – otherwise the brakes engage.
According to Hunger, the real magic happens when you take the child out.
"So, for example, you have a newborn and they are crying. They want to be soothed and held,” she said. “Then parents can just do that – they have their two hands and their full attention for the child, and the stroller basically takes care of itself."
Hunger and Huang have taken the stroller out in Vancouver on many occasions and say it always draws lots of attention.
"I can tell you the number one comment is, 'Where were you when our kids were little?'" she said.
CTV News showed a video of the autonomous stroller to expectant mother Aryana Sye.
“I think it’s cool. My only concern as a soon-to-be new parent is the technology,” she said expressing safety concerns.
Hunger said safety is the company’s highest priority, and it is working to get the Gluxkind Ella certified to Canadian and American standards for strollers and consumer electronics.
She says the goal is to make life a little easier for parents, who sometimes have strollers weighted down with groceries or other items.
"Especially in Vancouver as well, there's so many hills and you see parents struggling going uphill and downhill with a fully-loaded stroller,” Hunger said.
The Gluxkind Ella was honoured with a CES Innovation Award.
The company hopes to ship its first 100 strollers sometime this year but the smart technology won’t come cheap – initial pricing will be US$3,800 per unit.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.