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The Embrace Infant Warmer

By tiffany.chu - November 15, 2010

in Object Culture | Social Impact

Humans do not have kangaroo pouches, and it's a fact that society laments when babies are premature -- especially in developing countries. Over 450 low-birthweight and premature infants die each hour from hypothermia, and at a cost of around $20,000, modern incubators. There is a strong need for a low-cost method of keeping babies warm and alive.

Enter the Infant Warmer from the social enterprise Embrace Global, an innvoative miniature sleeping bag (or replacement marsupial pouch) that will cost less than $200. Made from a wax-filled heating pad ensheathed in nylon, the product can keep the baby warm for four to six hours, then reheated in either an electric warmer or, if electricity is unavailable, in a water warmer for 20 minutes.

Born two years ago from the well-known Stanford class Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability>, offered through both the Graduate School of Business and the Mechanical Engineering Department, the Infant Warmer is currently in its final stages of product development and is slated for distribution in India later this year. India will be their first goal, as 40% of the world's low-weight babies are born there; then, they intend to expand to Asia and Africa. A trial at the Packard Hospital in Palo Alto is also planned for next year as an alternative to the traditional rows of plastic incubators, allowing mothers to stay closer to their premature infants.

via sfgate

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Lorraine

13 years ago

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It's too bad all that effort was made...it costs NOTHING and is extremely empowering for mothers to keep their infants in skin to skin contact. The mother's body adjusts to keep the infant at the correct temperature, baby's breathing & heart rate regulates and they get some much needed immunities from the contact. Once again, technology is trying to replace what humans can do much more effectively.
The only conceivable place for these devices is with orphaned infants, yet even then, skin to skin contact can also be effectively provided by health care workers.
I am a Lactation & Childbirth Educator
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Nuno Jacinto

14 years ago

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Its a great project.
But I've seen something like this on TED, I wonder if it's the same project. Because the other one costed something like $25, $30. If it is my question is... how do go from $30 (on TED) to $200 in almost a year?

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