New Incubator Could Save Millions Of BabiesA new low-tech baby incubator that costs just £30 could save millions of lives around the world. A baby wrapped in the incubator The pouch works using smart wax, which keeps the baby warm The infant warmer is designed to be used in developing countries, where traditional incubators cost too much at around £15,000. It looks like a snug sleeping bag with pouch for a heat pack. Rajan Patel of the not-for-profit company Embrace Global told Sky News: "It has the potential of saving millions of babies. "There is a pressing need for this. In the first few days of life babies just don't have the warmth to keep them alive." According to the World Health Organisation four million premature or low birth weight babies die each year, primarily from hypothermia. Babies born too early or too light are unable to regulate their own body temperature, and without artificial warmth many die. Those that survive divert so much energy into keeping warm that their organs fail to develop normally, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and low IQ in later life. The baby warmer will be launched later this month in India, where 114 babies die every hour. Clinical trials are being carried out by Bangalore's Institute of Child Health, which is using it to transport premature babies from remote areas. Professor of Neonatology Naveen Benakappa said: "This is a good, low-cost product. At the moment some parents are putting their babies under a light bulb to keep them warm. But this product is very satisfactory." The key to the baby warmer is the smart wax in the heat pack. At room temperature it's solid. But when it's heated to 37C - body temperature - it melts, storing energy. It then slowly releases the trapped energy as heat, keeping the baby at a constant 37C for up to six hours. One of Bangalore's top maternity hospitals, The Cradle, is also involved in tests on the baby warmer. Embrace Global hopes the approval of senior doctors will convince other clinics to use it. Neonatologist Dr Joseph Kiran Tauro said: "If it can work here, it can work anywhere." Embrace Global is designing two models. One, designed for use by health workers, warms the pouch in an electric heater. The other model can be heated in boiling water and is intended for use by parents in areas without reliable electricity. Mr Patel said: "It's low cost but high quality. We want mothers to be able to have live, healthy children, which is something every mother should be able to have."A new low-tech baby incubator that costs just £30 could save millions of lives around the world. A baby wrapped in the incubator The pouch works using smart wax, which keeps the baby warm The infant warmer is designed to be used in developing countries, where traditional incubators cost too much at around £15,000. It looks like a snug sleeping bag with pouch for a heat pack. Rajan Patel of the not-for-profit company Embrace Global told Sky News: "It has the potential of saving millions of babies. "There is a pressing need for this. In the first few days of life babies just don't have the warmth to keep them alive." According to the World Health Organisation four million premature or low birth weight babies die each year, primarily from hypothermia. Babies born too early or too light are unable to regulate their own body temperature, and without artificial warmth many die. Those that survive divert so much energy into keeping warm that their organs fail to develop normally, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and low IQ in later life. The baby warmer will be launched later this month in India, where 114 babies die every hour. Clinical trials are being carried out by Bangalore's Institute of Child Health, which is using it to transport premature babies from remote areas. Professor of Neonatology Naveen Benakappa said: "This is a good, low-cost product. At the moment some parents are putting their babies under a light bulb to keep them warm. But this product is very satisfactory." The key to the baby warmer is the smart wax in the heat pack. At room temperature it's solid. But when it's heated to 37C - body temperature - it melts, storing energy. It then slowly releases the trapped energy as heat, keeping the baby at a constant 37C for up to six hours. One of Bangalore's top maternity hospitals, The Cradle, is also involved in tests on the baby warmer. Embrace Global hopes the approval of senior doctors will convince other clinics to use it. Neonatologist Dr Joseph Kiran Tauro said: "If it can work here, it can work anywhere." Embrace Global is designing two models. One, designed for use by health workers, warms the pouch in an electric heater. The other model can be heated in boiling water and is intended for use by parents in areas without reliable electricity. Mr Patel said: "It's low cost but high quality. We want mothers to be able to have live, healthy children, which is something every mother should be able to have."

A new low-tech baby incubator that costs just £30 could save millions of lives around the world.

The pouch works using smart wax, which keeps the baby warm

The infant warmer is designed to be used in developing countries, where traditional incubators cost too much at around £15,000.
It looks like a snug sleeping bag with pouch for a heat pack.
Rajan Patel of the not-for-profit company Embrace Global told Sky News: "It has the potential of saving millions of babies.
"There is a pressing need for this. In the first few days of life babies just don't have the warmth to keep them alive."
According to the World Health Organisation four million premature or low birth weight babies die each year, primarily from hypothermia.
Babies born too early or too light are unable to regulate their own body temperature, and without artificial warmth many die.
Those that survive divert so much energy into keeping warm that their organs fail to develop normally, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and low IQ in later life.
The baby warmer will be launched later this month in India, where 114 babies die every hour.
Clinical trials are being carried out by Bangalore's Institute of Child Health, which is using it to transport premature babies from remote areas.
Professor of Neonatology Naveen Benakappa said: "This is a good, low-cost product. At the moment some parents are putting their babies under a light bulb to keep them warm. But this product is very satisfactory."
The key to the baby warmer is the smart wax in the heat pack. At room temperature it's solid. But when it's heated to 37C - body temperature - it melts, storing energy. It then slowly releases the trapped energy as heat, keeping the baby at a constant 37C for up to six hours.
One of Bangalore's top maternity hospitals, The Cradle, is also involved in tests on the baby warmer. Embrace Global hopes the approval of senior doctors will convince other clinics to use it.
Neonatologist Dr Joseph Kiran Tauro said: "If it can work here, it can work anywhere."
Embrace Global is designing two models. One, designed for use by health workers, warms the pouch in an electric heater. The other model can be heated in boiling water and is intended for use by parents in areas without reliable electricity.
Mr Patel said: "It's low cost but high quality. We want mothers to be able to have live, healthy children, which is something every mother should be able to have."