Here's a WiFi-enabled Russian Doll that's designed to replace your mother
When doom-mongers portend that technology is destroying human relationships, plenty of 'em will use this as exhibit one. Mother is the brainchild of Rafi Haladjian, the mind behind the Nabaztag, and is a device designed to monitor the objects, creatures and people in your home. The white plastic Russian Doll connects to a series of sensors, called cookies, that measure motion and temperature, and will alert you when it notices a change. For instance, if you strapped a cookie to the door where your meds are kept, but one day forgot to open it when you were due, the device would nag you until you remembered -- just like your own mother.
Of course, that's a reasonably simple example, and the company has cooked up 14 different ways in which the cookies can be used to monitor your home. Another example is if you strapped a cookie to your door, Mother will send an alert and make a noise every time it's opened -- which is useful when you're on holiday and worried about unwanted intruders. Speaking of which, the cookies themselves can be used for up to a year before you have to replace them and you can connect up to 24 at one time -- but be warned, buying and replacing those things can be pricey, as it's $99 for four. The Mother hardware reminds us a little of Eve from Wall-E, although its facial expressions are limited to blinking to show that its connecting to WiFi. It'll begin shipping between February and March, with one Mother and four cookies retailing for $222.
Jamie Rigg contributed to this report.
