Studies have shown that the more words a toddler is exposed to when growing up, the more developed his social, emotional and intellectual abilities will be. In other words, the more words he hears, the smarter and well adjusted he’ll be. Everyone talks to their child to one degree or another, but it’s easy to get sidetracked and become inconsistent. That’s when Starling comes in. It’s a device that attaches to a baby’s clothing and simply tracks the number of words spoken in its presence. This way you can set realistic goals, and see whether you’re on track to expose baby-you to an appropriate amount of conversation. If it turns out that you’re feeling uninspired on any given day, the app can suggest “age-appropriate lexical activities”. You can check on your progress at any time by pressing button on the device, and there should be no privacy-invasion fears as the unit only counts the words but doesn’t record them. It’ll stay powered for up to 5 days at a time, is waterproof, and even has an LED to indicate when you’ve reached your target. It’s a $129 pledge to their Indiegogo, with shipping in April 2016.
[ Project Page ] VIA [ Gizmag ]
