11:52 PM
Patsy
Today’s Refine My Line entry is a public service (hat tip to Jinjer who sent the link).
The Embrace Infant Warmer is designed to keep fragile newborns warm instead of incubators. At just 1% of the cost of an incubator, the infant warmer can make a significant reduction of infant mortality rates in developing nations -its intended locus of implementation. Speaking of, Embrace is a 501c3 social enterprise.
When I was looking at the warmer, three immediate ideas for improvement sprang to mind. One was related to function, keeping the infant warm. The second was related to yield and the last was an additional sewing step to correct a possible safety concern for the smallest of babies. As usual so you don’t think I’m cribbing from your efforts when I write the follow up, I’ve posted my comments in the forum. I thought the infant warmer would be a great challenge for RML and provide public benefit too.
At this writing, I haven’t had a response to my email mentioning we’ve collectively volunteered to improve this product so I have no idea how welcome the results of our efforts will be. In any event, it will still be a functional challenge (probably half the work I do in private practice is product engineering to specific purposes like this rather than apparel). I will let you know what if anything I hear back. It’s all for a great cause people!
For now, go here to see how the unit works; at right is a photo of a prototype. And if you’d like to leave a donation, see this page.
So put on your thinking caps to improve a product with meaning. I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Thanks everybody.
The Embrace Infant Warmer is designed to keep fragile newborns warm instead of incubators. At just 1% of the cost of an incubator, the infant warmer can make a significant reduction of infant mortality rates in developing nations -its intended locus of implementation. Speaking of, Embrace is a 501c3 social enterprise.
When I was looking at the warmer, three immediate ideas for improvement sprang to mind. One was related to function, keeping the infant warm. The second was related to yield and the last was an additional sewing step to correct a possible safety concern for the smallest of babies. As usual so you don’t think I’m cribbing from your efforts when I write the follow up, I’ve posted my comments in the forum. I thought the infant warmer would be a great challenge for RML and provide public benefit too.
At this writing, I haven’t had a response to my email mentioning we’ve collectively volunteered to improve this product so I have no idea how welcome the results of our efforts will be. In any event, it will still be a functional challenge (probably half the work I do in private practice is product engineering to specific purposes like this rather than apparel). I will let you know what if anything I hear back. It’s all for a great cause people!
For now, go here to see how the unit works; at right is a photo of a prototype. And if you’d like to leave a donation, see this page.
So put on your thinking caps to improve a product with meaning. I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Thanks everybody.
