The Cub’s Lair Baby Incubator: Temperature and Humidity Control System for Developing Countries
Poster Number
23
Format
Poster Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Shelly Gulati
Faculty Mentor Department
Bioengineering
Abstract/Artist Statement
Throughout the developing world millions of babies are born prematurely (born three or more weeks before the due date) and face the daunting task of surviving without a stable environment to finish their development. In sub-Saharan Africa alone over 400,000 premature babies are born each year, an acute problem that the local healthcare community has trouble dealing with due to lack of suitable equipment. This lack of equipment unfortunately leads to death of many prematurely born babies. Western hospitals have the luxury of possessing modernized baby incubators that provide a stable and isolated environment that controls important factors such as temperature and humidity, for the baby to develop in safely. In order to provide a more affordable yet functional way of helping premature babies reach full term, we have designed a simple, low maintenance, and durable baby incubator that monitors and alerts of changes to temperature and humidity. An alarm and visual alert is set off when the incubator’s internal temperature is higher than 37°C or lower than 28°C, and a fan or heating device reacts appropriately. When the incubator’s internal relative humidity reaches above 60% or below 50%, the alarm and visual alert will also turn on, and either the fan or staff personnel will respond.
Location
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom
Start Date
20-4-2013 10:00 AM
End Date
20-4-2013 12:00 PM
The Cub’s Lair Baby Incubator: Temperature and Humidity Control System for Developing Countries
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom
Throughout the developing world millions of babies are born prematurely (born three or more weeks before the due date) and face the daunting task of surviving without a stable environment to finish their development. In sub-Saharan Africa alone over 400,000 premature babies are born each year, an acute problem that the local healthcare community has trouble dealing with due to lack of suitable equipment. This lack of equipment unfortunately leads to death of many prematurely born babies. Western hospitals have the luxury of possessing modernized baby incubators that provide a stable and isolated environment that controls important factors such as temperature and humidity, for the baby to develop in safely. In order to provide a more affordable yet functional way of helping premature babies reach full term, we have designed a simple, low maintenance, and durable baby incubator that monitors and alerts of changes to temperature and humidity. An alarm and visual alert is set off when the incubator’s internal temperature is higher than 37°C or lower than 28°C, and a fan or heating device reacts appropriately. When the incubator’s internal relative humidity reaches above 60% or below 50%, the alarm and visual alert will also turn on, and either the fan or staff personnel will respond.