The Infant Incubator: Embrace

Last week's class discussion on product design, heightened my awareness to the how human oriented design not only appeals to the functionality of devices (and often their lower price point) but also to the marketing that is often necessary to gain momentum for new products. The first thing that I noticed about the Embrace is how well the baby is swaddled making him appear like an eskimo (and absolutely adorable). You also notice that envelopes the baby allowing it to be situated in several positions without allowing for unwrapping and potentially allowing the caretaker to do other tasks while keeping an eye on the propped up baby. The material is durable and hypoallergenic which makes it feasible in regions where regular washing is unaccessible and prevents the transfer of disease. But the most important part of this hypothermic blanket is the fact that the temperature can be monitored and is guaranteed to keep the baby warm for at least four hours at 98.6 F. This is the difference between life and death for underweight infants that are often born in rural areas of developing countries that are often hours away from hospitals and medical facilities. It is available in two versions, one that is able to be heated with hot water at home and the other through electricity. Available at 1% of the price point of US infant incubators, at $20 and able to be used by the average layperson, without the need for trained technicians. What was simply a blanket has now evolved into an incubator solely because its new design expands its uses while fulfilling a social need contributing to infant mortality.