Fathers sometimes like to say that they can do anything mothers can, except give birth and breastfeed. Well, thanks to a new device developed by Japanese company Dentsu, breastfeeding babies may not be a problem for fathers in the near future.

Recently unveiled at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, the Father’s Nursing Assistant is an intriguing, if somewhat bizarre, gadget that aims to allow fathers to help out with stressful tasks usually reserved for mothers. Data shows that much of the parental stress and difficulties associated with taking care of a baby are related to feeding and sleeping, responsibilities in which fathers’ participation tends to be low. In order to get fathers more involved and relieve some of the burden off mothers, Japanese corporation Dentsu has created a wearable milk or formula tank shaped as a pair of female breasts, which allows men to breastfeed children.

Photo: Dentsu

“Breastfeeding is also effective at helping the parent sleep—a benefit that is currently skewed toward women,” Dentsu states in a press release. “Focusing on breastfeeding, we aim to decrease the amount of burden on mothers and increase the amount of time infants sleep by enabling fathers to breastfeed.”

The Father’s Nursing Assistant is modeled after a woman’s breasts, with one of them housing the milk or formula tank, and the other being the breastfeeding port equipped with a silicone nipple. The device is heated to simulate the warmth of the mother’s body and enable the baby to sleep peacefully in his father’s arms.

Dentsu points out that the Father’s Nursing Assistant is more than a just breast-shaped milk tank. It also vibrates to help induce sleep, and features sensors that track the infant’s breastfeeding and sleeping behavior, with the data then being exported to a smartphone to be viewed via a dedicated app.

The Father’s Nursing Assistant is still in the concept stage, but who knows, one day soon mothers and fathers could take turns breastfeeding their babies.