This project grew out of the RISD-MIT Studio. RISD ID Students Mike Hahn and James Minola worked with Design that Matters leadership Timothy Prestero and Lubna Maria Nabi on lower technology concepts for neo natal care for developing countries. Beyond the semester the project was picked up by the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology's (CIMIT) Global Health Initiative where the concept was further developed with the restriction that the incubator solution must be made from old Toyota automobile parts to utilize existing supplies. A summary of that phase can be found
here. Additional development was provided by current industrial design graduate student Tom Weis.
designers: james minola + michael hahn for Design That Matters
Neo.nurture. is an exciting new baby incubator, specifically for use in the hospitals of developing countries [Nepal as case study]. The current neonatal care situation in many countries is dire and often fatal for infants due to inadequate funding for proper equipment and education.
The beauty of neo.nurture. is that not only will it cost just 1/100 the price of a new western incubator, but neo.nurture. also has a completely unique form factor and functionality which today’s high-end western incubators should note.
This is possible because neo.nurture. is designed with the most recent infant research in mind, maximizing infant-caretaker interaction, thereby promoting proper mental, as well as physical development in the child. The entire baby carriage can be removed from its base, and held in a parent’s lap. This sets a much more natural stage for interaction between parent and child while maintaining a safe environment for the infant via a small tether. Removed from the base, the modular carriage can even serve as a rocker on any flat surface Multi-level access provides doctors, nurses, and parents with several access options, depending on their need, thereby minimizing the exposure of the infant to the outside environment. In addition, a novel interior baffle system maintains isolation of the infant’s head in all but the most open configuration. Bed tilt is achieved via the arc between the carriage and the base. Large, instinctive notches indicate zero and 10 degrees. The overall gesture of the isolette is friendly, anthropomorphic, and reassuring. The top incorporates button closures, and a bactaria-resistant Tyvek ® fabric not only to be more approachable, but also to make the infant seem warmer and reduce instances of over-bundling [it’s best if infants wear only their diapers in an isolette for many reasons] which is a common problem in Nepal.
The interface is kept as simple and intuitive as possible, using both text and graphics to minimize confusion. The interface and computer are an inexpensive modular unit, and internal parts, such as heaters and fans, are off the shelf to insure replaceability and proper maintenance in the developing world. Because power outages are a common occurrence, a backup battery maintains power for the unit until hospital generators kick in. Neo.nurture. is vital because it’s designed to operate in the real conditions found in other countries where incubators designed for western standards would falter, even if they were in reach financially. It’s affordable enough to be used, and good enough to not only save lives, but improve them as well. This is design that matters.
