Infant product safety testing in the United States relies on passive mannequins that cannot move. Current test surrogates cannot replicate the active biomechanical behaviors of a real infant such as rolling, kicking, or shifting weight, the precise motions that create suffocation and entrapment hazards in bassinets, sleepers, and swings. This gap has contributed to tragic outcomes, with 50 baby products currently under active recall on the U.S. market and hundreds of infant deaths linked to products that passed existing safety tests.
Baby Bot is a motorized infant surrogate designed to close this testing gap. Sponsored by Prof. Todd Sulchek of Georgia Tech's School of Mechanical Engineering, Baby Bot replicates the physical behavior of a 1–7 month old infant at the 50th percentile, simulating rolling, hip rotation, leg lifting, and head movement through a system of DC gear motors, servo motors, and an Arduino-class controller. Integrated sensors detect airway obstruction and thermal hazard events in real time, and all data is logged across repeated standardized test cycles. The primary application is bassinet safety testing, with adaptability to swings, sleepers, and other juvenile product categories. Baby Bot provides safety testing laboratories, juvenile product manufacturers, and regulatory agencies with a repeatable, biomechanically accurate tool to identify product hazards before they reach consumers.