lumi smart diapers
© Courtesy of P&GThe Lumi by Pampers monitoring system, which P&G claims is the world’s first all-in-one connected care system, will be available for purchase this fall.
Procter & Gamble Co. worked with a subsidiary of Google to develop a baby monitoring system that alerts parents via a smartphone app if a Pampers diaper needs changing.

The app also will enable parents to keep an eye on a baby via a Logitech video camera installed in a nursery, according to the Cincinnati-based maker of consumer goods (NYSE: PG).

The high-definition, wide-angle monitor includes night vision and two-way audio. It also tracks room temperature and humidity.

The Lumi by Pampers monitoring system, which P&G claims is the world's first all-in-one connected care system, will be available for purchase this fall. Pricing is to be determined, but P&G has started a waiting list for the product.

The system will include two activity sensors, two packs of Lumi by Pampers diapers and a video monitor.


The activity sensor that attaches to a Pampers diaper automatically tracks a baby's sleep patterns and whether a diaper is wet. Based on P&G Swaddlers, Lumi diapers are enhanced to pair exclusively with the activity sensor at each diaper change. That means the sensors won't work with other brands of diapers.

The battery in each activity sensor lasts three months, and parents will be alerted in the app when the battery is low and the sensor needs to be replaced.

The Lumi by Pampers system is designed for babies ranging from newborn to 12 months old, and the diapers will be available in sizes zero to 4.

The Lumi app, which can be used with a Google Android smartphone or an Apple iPhone, records not only sleep but also a baby's feeding, diapering and key milestones so parents can determine patterns and see emerging routines.

Lumi by Pampers was developed by P&G's Start Up Pampers team, which includes scientists and others focused on innovation.

P&G partnered on the project with Verily Life Sciences, a California-based Alphabet Inc. research organization previously called Google Life Sciences, which specializes in platforms, sensors and software for health data.

Logitech, a California-based consumer electronics company with expertise in security camera technology, also worked with P&G on the system.

P&G green-lighted Lumi by Pampers after research with thousands of parents revealed three unmet needs, a spokeswoman said:
  • Parents want to know their baby is comfortable and safe.
  • Babies thrive in a routine, but routines are tough to establish and change often.
  • Parents seek a deep understanding about their baby's unique mental and physical development.
"While there are many tools and solutions to address some of these problems, none of the existing products on the market address all three together in a frictionless way," P&G spokeswoman Mandy Treeby said.

To prevent hacking, the monitoring system adheres to the Advanced Encryption Standard and uses multi-layer security to safeguard each user's video stream.

"The Lumi by Pampers system uses industry standard protections, designed for the highly regulated area of financial services, to store and protect audio and video from the video monitors," Treeby said.

"Once set up, the video monitor can only be accessed using the user's valid Pampers account credentials," she said. "Even guests on a user's home's Wi-Fi network would need the user's Pampers account credentials in order to access the account and video monitor."

Unlike traditional IP cameras, which respond to any incoming request from the network - including unknown or untrusted sources - the Lumi video monitor can only talk to the Lumi servers, she said.

P&G recommends that Lumi users never share their Pampers account credentials and to protect personal mobile devices by adding safeguards to open the device such as face ID, fingerprint or a passcode protection, she said.