Most people these days either have or are familiar with smartphones and smartwatches. But what about a smart pacifier? Some doctors and an engineer at UAB are part of the team developing that technology that could save babies’ lives, especially the most vulnerable, like preemies.It could be the pacifier of the future. It’s designed for sick babies, putting high-tech sensors in a device that babies instinctively take to. UAB neonatologist Dr. Namasivayam Ambalavanan said, “All babies can suck well, whereas you can’t really tell them to blow into a device.” Ambalavanan is on the team developing this technology.“This is what we would call a dumb pacifier or a not very smart pacifier. So, we are planning to introduce microphones and a speaker, right at the tip of the pacifier,” he said. The microphones will detect lung sounds, and the speakers will emit sound waves. The data collected can give doctors valuable information about the baby’s lung development and possible breathing issues, which is a common health issue for newborns, especially premature babies.The doctor said, “When the baby is sucking on the pacifier, it will be able to transmit the signal from the smart pacifier to a handheld device or to a laptop, so we can actually get a continuous recording of the lung mechanics.”Doctors and engineers at Purdue University in Indiana are heading this project, but they’ll test the smart pacifier at UAB, with Ambalavanan leading that part of the project in 2027. The team has just received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to take the smart pacifier from idea to reality.
Most people these days either have or are familiar with smartphones and smartwatches. But what about a smart pacifier? Some doctors and an engineer at UAB are part of the team developing that technology that could save babies’ lives, especially the most vulnerable, like preemies.
It could be the pacifier of the future. It’s designed for sick babies, putting high-tech sensors in a device that babies instinctively take to. UAB neonatologist Dr. Namasivayam Ambalavanan said, “All babies can suck well, whereas you can’t really tell them to blow into a device.”
Ambalavanan is on the team developing this technology.
“This is what we would call a dumb pacifier or a not very smart pacifier. So, we are planning to introduce microphones and a speaker, right at the tip of the pacifier,” he said.
The microphones will detect lung sounds, and the speakers will emit sound waves. The data collected can give doctors valuable information about the baby’s lung development and possible breathing issues, which is a common health issue for newborns, especially premature babies.
The doctor said, “When the baby is sucking on the pacifier, it will be able to transmit the signal from the smart pacifier to a handheld device or to a laptop, so we can actually get a continuous recording of the lung mechanics.”
Doctors and engineers at Purdue University in Indiana are heading this project, but they’ll test the smart pacifier at UAB, with Ambalavanan leading that part of the project in 2027. The team has just received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to take the smart pacifier from idea to reality.
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