Low Cost Transportable Infant Incubator

Abstract

Infants born prior to thirty seven weeks of gestation are referred to as premature. Prematurity is a significant problem in developing countries, where preterm infants make up approximately 25% of all live births. The World Health Organization (WHO) and Engineering World Health (EWH) have both expressed the necessity for a low cost, transportable infant incubation unit that can be used specifically for transit. The incubation unit is a TCNJ legacy project; several improvements were proposed to an existing design. The HVAC system was redesigned and will house the humidity and heating systems. A new humidity system has been added with both measurement and control. A new heating element has been designed using heating coils typically found in household appliances. A test baby model was designed using information about the size and thermal characteristics of a preterm infant so that the safety and efficacy of the design can be assessed. SIMULINK modeling of the incubator and a model of a baby will be used to better understand the thermodynamics of the system during operation. Manufacture, assembly, and testing of this new design will be completed during Spring 2013.