Mechanical design and prototyping of a neonatal incubator for areas with intermittent electrical grid power

• Main Author: Present, Elaina Kim
• Other Authors: Sanjay Sarma.
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2012
• Subjects: Mechanical Engineering.
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/75675

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2012. === Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. === Includes bibliographical references (p. 31). === Every year, 1.1 million infants die from complications related to preterm birth. An estimated 80% of these deaths could be prevented through the use of non-intensive methods, including thermal regulation. Neonatal incubators are common life-preserving devices for preterm infants in developed countries, but are under-utilized in much of the developing world due to designs intended for large hospital settings their need for constant electrical grid power and. A design is here proposed for a portable off-grid neonatal incubator for use in those areas. The design is honed through human-centered design practices and the use of SolidWorks representations. Early-stage prototypes are constructed from foam and ABS. Prototyping in ABS required overcoming difficulties presented by the size constraints imposed by the thermoforming machines available in the Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity. === by Elaina Kim Present. === S.B.