Development of an IoT-enabled smart baby cradle for enhanced infant monitoring and parental control / Abdul Samad Kamarul Ariffin and Arni Munira Markom

Traditional infant monitoring systems are evolving into intelligent solutions, offering real-time notifications and automation to cater to the demands of multitasking parents. However, most IoT solutions in parental care focus solely on monitoring, lacking automatic smartphone control. In response to this gap, we developed an IoT-based system for automatic cradle monitoring. This system not only enables smartphone-based monitoring but also allows parents to control the cradle's swing speed and receive notifications through a mobile application. Our solution integrates PIR and sound sensors, an ESP8266 microcontroller, and a Wi-Fi module to create a robust monitoring system that tracks a baby's movements and sounds, sending instant notifications to the smartphone. The user can activate the system and adjust the cradle's motion using a slider based on sensor data. This IoT-enabled smart baby cradle enhances convenience and reduces parental stress, ensuring infant well-being and safety. A survey conducted among Universiti Teknologi MARA instructors revealed that 70% preferred automatic swing cradles over traditional ones, and 80% expressed the need for IoT integration in infant cradles, highlighting the growing demand for such advanced solutions.