Baby on Board? Try Baby Behind the Wheel!

A hybrid bumper car/robot is being developed by University of Delaware researchers to help developmentally challenged babies discover their world. The idea behind the contraption is that it is extremely important for a baby to explore his or her environment. Children who have trouble with mobility lose out on this opportunity and therefore limits their development even more.

One such commercially available product is England's Wizzybug (pictured above) which was developed by researchers at the Bath Institute of Medical Engineering for disabled 2- to 5-year-olds. The key difference here is that the Wizzybug is for older children. Researchers at the Fighting Blue Hen (Univ. of Delaware) feel that by waiting so long, critical development time is being lost, hence the robotized car.

The name of the Delaware car? UD1 of course! Who said chickens weren't clever?



Mad props to YoUDee!

source: abc13