As a person who lives at the top of a very steep hill and who will, in the next four months or so, be rejoining the pram-pusher brigade, I’m not going to pretend that the idea of a self-driving buggy isn’t extremely intriguing. Sadly though, at a cost of £2,700, the “hands-free” Ella smart-stroller, premiered at this weekend’s CES technology show in Las Vegas, will have to be consigned to my fantasy parenting equipment list – along with the Snoo, the £1,200 bassinet that calls itself a “virtual babysitter” and can soothe your baby to sleep by gently rocking it and playing white noise.
Hang on, though – the Ella also includes safety features other buggies don’t: it has an automatic parking brake, which would come in handy if, for instance, my three-year-old suddenly decided to run into the road while we’re halfway down the hill. What if, in my post-natal fug, I forgot to press the brake on our battered old iCandy (bought second-hand off eBay and soon to be carrying its fourth child) and it sailed off down the hill? By not buying the Ella, am I risking the safety and wellbeing of my precious newborn? Is £2,700 too high a price for peace of mind?
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