By Manan Vyas
When Arundhati, a high ranking honcho at an IT firm, was scheduled to take a five-day long business trip, she was worried. Her two children were under the age of four, and loved being around their mother every chance they got. While their father and grandmother would be around, Arundhati knew shed miss them each day, and worry whether they were sleeping on time.
Tech is currently facing a barrage of criticism. Facebook is accused of overstepping and abusing its users data. Ubers self-driving car had a fatal accident. Artificial Intelligence is feared for its ability to wipe millions of jobs. At the same time, it is hard to deny the role of technology in bringing the world together.
Arundhati knew that the business trips would be a constant, unavoidable part of her career. Nevertheless, she was determined not to miss out on her childrens precious childhood moments. This took her on a mission to find solutions that would help her balance out. Her research took her over to one of the fastest growing tech niches globally – IoT [Internet of Things]. Hardware devices are becoming more intelligent, and are beginning to support internet connectivity. This enables smart fridges and air conditioners, for instance, to be powered by a mobile app.
Arundhati discovered the product line that excited her the most – smart cameras. Connecting to the internet via Wifi, smart cameras can send a live feed to the cloud, enabling accessibility from smartphones anywhere in the world. Arundhatis research led her down a rabbit hole of products of varying qualities and reliability. She eventually settled upon the EVE Series by Godrej. She explains, Being a Godrej product, I knew it would work reliably when I needed it to. But more than that, what appeals to me is the design. The camera looks so friendly, almost like a cute little robot. If I wanted to place a camera in my kids bedroom, I wanted something they were comfortable with.
The camera was a huge hit in Arundhatis house, especially because it doubled up as a speaker. This meant that Arundhati was not confined to simply looking at her children and keeping tabs on them remotely, she was also able to communicate with them anytime she wanted. This was especially useful for my younger one, who is just a year old. He is used to the sound of my voice singing lullabies – its the only way he goes to sleep. So when I see him restless at night, I just sing for a little bit and I have the satisfaction of seeing him go right back to sleep. For a mother, there is no greater peace of mind than that she explained.
Camera technology such as this is potentially transformative for working mothers that traditionally face the pressure of being away from their young children. Many are not comfortable leaving their children with nannies because of the lack of accountability. Tech solutions such as this help bridge the gap and create a meaningful communication channel that helps ease the minds of the people that worry the most – our mothers.
Featured Image Credits: Unsplash