Ask any new parents what one device would make their lives easier, and I think they would agree it would be something to help them understand why their babies are crying. Are they hungry? Tired? Bored? Wet? Overstimulated? Understimulated? Sometimes, you can guess right and end the tears within a few minutes; other times, the crying can go on for hours as you fruitlessly search for the solution.

 

Sound familiar? Well, a new iPhone app may just have the answer to a new parent's prayers. The new Cry Translator claims to help new moms and dads decipher the wails and howls of their newborns. Launched this week by Barcelona-based Biloop Technologic, S.L., the iPhone app uses sound analysis technology to identify one of five emotional states — hunger, fatigue, annoyance, stress or boredom.

 

Within 10 seconds, the cry translator deciphers the baby's cries and identifies the emotion behind them.  It then offers parents a set of tips to calm the child. The company says its technology is 96 percent accurate and works for any baby, regardless of culture or language.

 

Now I'd hate to think that parents will give up on their parental instincts and leave it to their iPhone to determine their child's mood, but I can completely empathize with any sleep-deprived new parent who is looking for a little assistance in figuring out why their baby is crying.