Development of a Baby Cry Identification System Using a Raspberry Pi-Based Embedded System and Machine Learning

Abstract

Newborns cry intensely, and most parents struggle to understand the reason behind their crying, as the baby cannot verbally express their needs. This makes it challenging for parents to know if their child has a need or a health issue. An embedded solution based on a Raspberry Pi is presented to address this problem. The module analyzes audio techniques to capture, analyze, classify, and remotely monitor a baby’s cries. These techniques rely on prosodic and cepstral features, such as MFCC coefficients. They can differentiate the reason behind a baby’s cry, such as hunger, stomach pain, or discomfort. A machine learning model was trained to anticipate the reason based on audio features. The embedded system includes a microphone to capture real-time cries and a display screen to show the anticipated reason. In addition, the system sends the collected data to a web server for storage, enabling remote monitoring and more detailed data analysis. A cell phone application has also been developed to notify parents in real time of why their baby is crying. This application enables parents to adapt quickly and efficiently to their infant’s needs, even when they are not around.