Ford’s Motor Dreams crib lets parents rest

By Heather Hamilton, contributing writer

Ford Motor Company has developed a crib that replicates the experience of being in the car — something sure to get most babies to sleep in little to no time. The Max Motor Dreams seeks to put babies to sleep, allowing parents to get some much-needed rest.

The Max Motor Dreams crib. Image source: Ford Motor Company.                                  

“After many years of talking to moms and dads, we know that parents of newborns are often desperate for just one good night’s sleep,” said crib designer, Alejandro López Bravo, of Spanish creative studio Espada y Santa Cruz in Ford’s press release. “But while a quick drive in the family car can work wonders on getting the baby off to sleep, the poor old parents still have to be awake and alert at the wheel. The Max Motor Dreams could make the everyday lives of a lot of people a little bit better.”

The press release directs readers to a Daily Mail article that indicates that parents lose 44 days of sleep in the first year of their child’s life — 2.9 hours per night below the recommended minimum. Research says that this is for three reasons — one of which is crying infants, something that Ford Motor Company aims to help with.

According to Forbes, the crib was designed for a Ford of Spain campaign by WPP’s GTB agency in collaboration with Ogilvy and Mather.

To mimic the car ride, the Max Motor Dreams utilizes light, sound, and movement and pairs with a smartphone app that allows parents to record the specifics of their own car trips to use with the crib. LEDs mimic street lights, machines replicate engine noise, and the crib moves in a way similar to that of your car.

Of course, the Max Motor Dreams is not the first smart crib we’ve seen — Engadget points to Snoo, a $1,500 crib designed to mimic the womb. Snoo’s crib listens for baby cries and distributes differently pitched noises. It also rocks at different speeds based on what the baby is doing.

For now, the Max Motor Dreams is not available for purchase — the crib is a one-off test. However, Mashable  reports that Ford has had numerous inquiries and is considering putting the crib into full-scale production. If you simply can’t wait, The Verge reports that Ford España is running a sweepstakes to give the crib away, so long as you test-drive a Ford Max.

Source:  Ford Motor Company