New iPhone app helps identify why a baby is crying within ten seconds

Baffled parents desperate to know exactly why their baby is crying can now get the answer in ten seconds from their mobile phone.

A company in Barcelona has launched an iPhone application which they say will take just that amount of time to figure out what's up with baby.

Demand has been phenomenal since it was featured on American television this week, said a company spokeswoman.

The Cry Translator 'involves a revolutionary technology that quickly identifies an infant's cry, based on one of five emotional or physiological states: hunger, fatigue, annoyance, stress or boredom, ' say the creators Pedro Barrera and Luis Meca.

'These five cries are universal to all babies regardless of culture or language.'

Parents are told to simply place their iPhone about a foot from the crying baby and touch the 'Start' button.

The cries are analysed and identified within the 10-second window with a 96 per cent degree of accuracy . Once the cry has been identified, tips to calm the infant are provided.

One parent on the company's website marveled at how accurately a soiled nappy was detected.

However, one thing the app does not mention is how it would recognise if a baby was ill.

It seems there are still some situations where a parent's instincts work better than technology.

The company, Biloop Technologic, originally developed the technology using a handheld device but it was decided to simply to concentrate on the iPhone application, said the spokeswoman.

Available in Britain, the US and Spain initially, it is priced at $9.99 until later this month.

A clinical trial at a hospital in Spain with the original device tested 104 children. When the suggestions to calm the child were followed, 96 per cent of the babies stopped crying.