About two years A while ago I was sitting in the car with my best friend and her toddler. She was driving and I was in the back next to her 10 month old who was in his car seat. The ride went smoothly for a while – then the baby burst into tears. We tried every trick in the book to comfort him. I contorted my face into the silliest poses, my girlfriend burst into a catchy song, but our efforts were met with louder wailing until finally – thankfully! – pulled into my friend’s driveway and she was able to take her son in her arms.
This scenario, aside from the useless friend in the backseat, is probably familiar to many parents who drive alone with their small children. And that’s why Japanese automaker Nissan is developing a peculiar puppet to soothe backseat tantrums. It’s called Iruyo, which means “I am here” in Japanese.
The fluffy babysitter who gives off major Elmo vibes actually is two Dolls: “Big Iruyo,” strapped to the back of the back seat, facing the baby; and “little Iruyo,” who sits in the driver’s cup holder. Big Iruyo does most of the work. When prompted by certain voice commands from the parent, the Great Iruyo may wave his hands, cover his eyes to play peek-a-boo, or clap his hands while the parent sings.
Photo: Nissan
A bot for toddlers
Rear-facing car seats are significantly safer than their front-facing counterparts, but they have one unavoidable downside: you won’t be able to see your child’s face while driving. That’s why Big Iruyo is also equipped with a built-in camera to monitor your child’s face. If your baby’s eyes are closed for more than three seconds, Big Iruyo assumes he is sleeping and transmits the message to Little Iruyo, who in turn closes his eyes to mirror your little one. When your baby opens his eyes again, little Iruyo will do the same – like a high-tech game: see monkeys, monkeys do.
Iruyo was designed by Tokyo advertising agency TBWAHakuhodo in collaboration with Nissan and one of Japan’s largest retail chains specializing in baby products, Akachan Honpo. The project began as a marketing campaign for Nissan’s sensor technology used in its driver assistance system. For example, some car models like the Nissan Ariya use a combination of radar sensors and front-facing cameras to continually assess your surroundings and automate some of your driving behavior, allowing you to take your hands off the steering wheel and your feet off the pedals on the highway.
Iruyo uses similar camera technology to assess your baby’s face and help you babysit. TBWA assures me that the robot’s camera only detects eye movements, which the company says should address any privacy concerns associated with capturing full facial expressions.