The Seattle Podcasting Network

As reported in MAKE magazine, Danish company Tanterflügn has come up with the ultimate iPod enhancement for busy mommies and daddies. The iPood (patent pending) is a unique, interactive toilet training device for toddlers. When properly outfitted. any child’s iPod can become not only the perfect entertainment device for all ages, but a truly useful companion in the child-rearing process.

When a Bluetooth-enabled strain gauge is attached to a child’s tummy, the iPood starts analyzing the youngster’s muscle contractions for signs of movement. “All children’s bodies give off some signal that elimination is imminent. Our software can detect those subtle signs far faster and with more accuracy than a parent can,” said Tørd Gustavsen, CTO of Tanterflügn. “Tests have shown that our device can help shorten the toilet training process by as much as 35%.”

Using gentle words of encouragement recorded by some of today’s most popular fictional children’s characters, the toddler is prompted to “make like a big boy” (or girl… the iPood’s software can auto-detect gender differences based on the pitch of tummy rumbling). For any successful toilet session, the child is treated to cheers and rewarded with snippets of audio, from Elmo giggling and saying “Way to Go!” to Barney the Dinosaur bellowing “You’re a sooper-dee-dooper pooper!”

The iPood is already available in Europe and should be on shelves in this country next month, pending final FDA approval. The iPood comes with a washable silicone rubber gasket in a variety of playful colors, and Tanterflügn will offer a “family pack” for parents of twins or siblings close in age.