Snoo can tell when your infant is crying thanks to three built-in microphones, which can differentiate between environmental noise and a baby's wailing. Then, depending on how noisy the baby is, it will play specially-designed white noise that's either lower-pitched and slower when her crying is softer, or higher-pitched and more persistent when she gets louder. The device will also start shaking to rock your child to sleep.

During my demo, the white noise sounded like heartbeats from an ultrasound machine during a sonogram. The rocking also seemed gentle at first, and as we talked louder near the crib, it grew stronger. Of course, since there wasn't a live baby there and I can't fit into the crib, I couldn't tell how comfortable or effective it would be.

If the problem can't be solved with mere soothing (think: hunger or a dirty diaper) then Snoo can't help. It's only meant for fussy infants who need pacifying, not to replace a caregiver. If the baby relaxes right away, parents won't have to get out of bed. If the crying persists, it's easier for parents to pick between getting milk or a fresh diaper.