After singing coffee mugs and greetings cards comes the singing dummy.
Douglas McTavish of Motherwell near Glasgow points out in GB 2 319 883 that
looking for a crying baby鈥檚 lost dummy (or pacifier) at night means switching
the light on and upsetting the child even more. The answer, says McTavish, is a
small music generator built into a dummy and controlled by a sound-sensitive
switch. When the baby cries, the dummy plays a tune. As well as calming the
baby, this also helps the parent to find the dummy in the dark.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Technology
Test moderators use AI-generated writing to judge literacy standards
News
Technology
We should decide how AI shapes the future, not tech firms
Comment
Technology
Quantum voting could make elections more secure
News
Technology
DeepMind AI gives an extra day of warning ahead of deadly cyclones
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles