When a baby is born there are usually smiles all around – but there’s also a lot to check out.
Health care providers and families want to make sure their little ones are healthy from the get-go.
And there’s a new device that can help them do that: the smart pacifier!
Washington State University has developed this high-tech wearable (I guess you call it a wearable? A smart pacifier is a lot more exciting to a baby than a smart watch) to make it easier to take care of a very important test for some babies.
One of the many potential concerns with a newborn is dehydration.
But right now medical staff have to do blood draws twice a day to check the youngster’s electrolyte levels.
Two daily blood draws is not really a baby’s idea of a good time.
It is possible to measure a little one’s sodium and potassium levels through their saliva, but it’s sort of a complicated process.
The researchers came up with this pacifier as a workable alternative.
Just by having the device in their mouth, the baby gives a saliva sample.
And sensors in the pacifier give real-time updates on the electrolyte levels.
This simplifies the testing process for the medical team, and it’s a lot less invasive for the babies.
And right out of the gate they get into the world of wearable tech!
A lot of experts want us to work on our sleep hygiene, including how we wake up.
Gentler is better in a lot of cases.
Or if you want to go way in the other direction, the Doomsday Alarm Clock will scare you out of bed with one of several end of the world scenarios, everything from the Big One to an evil computer network taking control of the world.
On the plus side, you won’t sleep through the apocalypse… thanks etc
Smart pacifier developed to monitor infant health in hospitals (Washington State University)
The Doomsday Alarm Clock Will Help You Wake Up and Stay Up (UrbanDaddy)
