Capstone Project: Baby’s Cry Detector for Deaf Parents
For every parent, their children’s safety is always the priority. They want their children to live a happy and safe life. Parents work hard to earn enough money to be able to send their children to a good school and to provide a safe environment for them. Sometimes, people take their health for granted without knowing that other people struggle because of their physical and mental disability. Being a parent with a disability makes it even harder to take care of a child, but it does not mean that it should be a problem.
In relation to that, this project would like to focus on people with hearing disability, specifically parents who are deaf. These parents are often more careful in taking care of their children, as they themselves have encountered problems because of their disability. While many products ensure the safety of children, it most probably has overlooked the needs of deaf parents.
The aim of this project is to fill that gap and aid these parents in taking care of their kids. The group will make a product that will enable deaf parents to keep an eye on their infants while they do their work. The device will be able to recognize the cry of new born babies. The device will be programmed to be able to connect and send a message to the parents while the babies cry. The development of such device will make it easier for a parent to be alerted whenever their infant needs something.
Background Research
There are smart and new products that focus on children’s health and safety such as Sproutling Baby Monitor, Owlet, and Memo. However, these products are very much different from what we will create since the project focuses on a specific audience, the deaf parents. In comparison to these products, our infant-monitoring device will be well-designed, though it would cost more than the other products because of its specification. But the group ensures its worth to the parents who will use it.
This project holds a lot of potential when it comes to child safety and management. Deaf parents will be able to respond faster to their children when they’re hungry, needs a diaper change, or even at times of emergencies. It also helps build the strength of a family as it builds bond, even unheard, between the parent and the child. The device will also be child-friendly and will not be made with harmful objects. Socially, the device may increase the confidence of parents in taking care of their child. This may result to a healthier and happier family. The group will consider the health risks of the device to the parents, as well. It will be made mostly of plastic and will be made sure to be durable for it to last a long time.
Realistic Constraints
Economically, the project may encounter some constraints as the production of the device will be costly. The device needs four primary parts, the Raspberry Pi model B+ which costs twenty-five to fifty dollars; the 3D Box for monitoring costs ten dollars; and the microphone which allows for the transmission of the babies’ cry will cost four to eight dollars. In total, building the device may cost up to seventy dollars. This may be problematic to parents who earn just enough to sustain their families; additional expenses may not be considered by them. The manufacture of the device also requires greater skills as it attends to a person who is deaf. Further precaution is needed in making the device.
Works Cited
Carey, Bridget. Sproutling wants to be baby's first health tracker. CNET News. Web. 14 Nov 2014.
Hopp, Steven L. Sound Analysis Software: Software for bioacoustics. Web. 14 Nov 2014.
Mouser Electronics. Singapore. Web. 14 Nov 2014
Singleton, Jenny and Tittle, Matthew. Deaf Parents and Their Hearing Children. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 5:3. University of Illinois. 2000. Print.
