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It looks like a cosy outfit for a diminutive Arctic explorer. In fact, it is a groundbreaking, inexpensive incubator for vulnerable newborns — a £15 device that could help to save the lives of 20 million premature and underweight babies born in poor countries every year...
A possible safe, affordable solution is now being tested in India, where one million newborns die every year. Dubbed the Embrace and costing £15 — about 1 per cent of the cost of a conventional incubator — it resembles a baby-sized sleeping bag. Crucially, it includes a warming device that can be removed and heated in a pan of water over a wood fire in 15 minutes. Once charged, it is designed to keep the baby at a constant 37C (98F) for more than four hours. "We've received great feedback on the product from clinicians, government officials, NGOs, midwives and parents," said Jane Chen, a co-founder of Embrace Global, a non-profit company.
