P&G and Alphabet to sell internet connected nappies
Alphabet-owned Verily has teamed up with Procter & Gamble’s Pampers to create a smart baby care system – including connected nappies. Privacy campaigners aren’t happy (The Irish Times).
Key points:
- P&G’s Lumi system will launch next quarter in U.S.
- Created with Google sister company Verily
- System includes a sensor to attach to nappies to show when it’s wet, collect sleep pattern data and video monitor, which parents can watch through app
- Privacy advocates concerned: “Parents may ... not recognise the serious risks to their privacy” Jeffrey Chester, executive director, Center for Digital Democracy
From cradle to grave. Literally. Whether there is latent demand for connected nappies remains to be seen but baby monitor sales are booming while sales of Pampers – the biggest brand in P&G’s stable - are under pressure.
As well as telling parents when baby’s nappy is full (or really full), the Lumi app will also curate content for parents – an interesting opportunity for P&G to create another direct connection to buyers.
Meanwhile, reams of anonymised baby data will undoubtedly throw up new ways for Alphabet and P&G to create product and make money. After all, where there’s muck, there’s brass – and as The Register puts it, the internet of shit has literally arrived.
