A Woobo talking robot is on display at the Woobo booth at CES International, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)Every year, the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas brings more devices promising to make life a little bit easier for harried parents.
Sure, the kids might love them too: who wouldn’t want a computerized Harry Potter wand that also teaches coding? The show’s growing “family tech” sector encompasses products that range from artificially intelligent toys and baby monitors to internet-connected breast pumps.
Their common thread is an appeal to parental anxiety about raising smart kids, occupying their time, tracking their whereabouts and making sure they’re healthy and safe.
Some also come with subtle trade-offs. “Technology makes us forget what we know about life,” said psychologist Sherry Turkle, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies people’s relationships with machines. She’s particularly concerned about robots that seek to befriend or babysit young children.
NOT-SO-IMAGINARY FRIENDS