From the “Do We Really Need This?” department: The Baby Crying Analyser. It listens to a baby’s crying for 20 seconds, and tells you whether your tot is crying from hunger, boredom, discomfort, sleepiness, or stress. It claims a 95% success rate.
I can’t imagine many people shelling out £66 ($115 as of this posting) for one of these. Most parents I know quickly develop a good radar about their infants’ cries, barring an occasional inconsolable episode. The gadget might be useful, however, for babysitters and other caregivers who don’t regularly tend a particular child—but I still lean towards thinking this is technological overkill. (And I live in a household where there are more computers than people.)
Assessing the problem is only half the battle, though. Finding an appropriate solution is the other, and arguably the harder. (Thanks to Shiny Shiny for the sighting.)