The day before yesterday, I could watch, on tv, an interesting and important news: A Spanish investigator has invented a low cost incubator. I should like to show you this news developed; so, if you want, please click on the link below, in order to watch a video about it:
http://www.lasexta.com/programas/mas-vale-tarde/noticias/incubadora-low-cost-invento-espanol-mortalidad-infantil-africa_2015090400315.html
Voice in off: “This is the famous incubator, of low cost, made with wood and small pieces of plastic, created by a Spanish engineer, for developing countries .... In a few days, the Foundation Alaine will take it to Benin, concretely it will land in the city of Nikki”
Alejandro Escario (Engineer and Inventor): “On the 15th, more or less, we will send the prototype, to Benin, to be mounted there, and ... well, to do the first tests and see what is wrong, what does not fail and what can be improved and what is right”
Voice in off: “There, they have a very high rate of infant mortality: cause of the low weight and malnutrition, they die 50 children, in 1000, less than a year, usually at the time of labour or after. In this region, there is no monitoring of pregnant women, only a small maternity, operating since 96. In 2014, they passed, by there, more than 4000 children under 5 years old. By the moment, and until the delivery arrives, they have 2 conventional incubators, for all children in the area; so, it makes, very often, to have 2 or 3 babies in each one; they are quite expensive and difficult to be repaired; so, sometimes, they are useless. As a solution, they use hot water bottles and towels, or heat from the mothers themselves, they snuggle with them, to give them warmth, ... With this new economic invention, these problems could be solved, because, near Benin, there are 22 laboratories, to repair and improve this invention”.
Alejandro (Computer and Teleco Engineer): “What we want is is to build a package, that you can send --the most small possible and lighter possible--, to send it, from the laboratories, because this incubator can be made, at any digital fabrication laboratory, with these characteristics”
Voice in off: “With a price of about 250 Euros, this incubator could reach every corner of the developing countries”
Mamen Mendizábal (Presenter of the program “Mas vale tarde”): “250 Euros, compared to the 6000 of a conventional incubator; ideas, which serve to change the world ... Quique Morales, with the inventor of the incubator, with the incubator ... and Quique, we have seen Alejandro even nailing with a hammer ...”
Quique Morales: “... It is that, all you have to do ... and Alejandro is going to confirm it us, is to have a little skill to build this incubator, almost without screws, with very small tips ...-- you saw him with the hammer; but I have seen him ride this one with his hands .., simply….”
Alejandro: “Yes, yes, at the beginning, almost everything, as you can see in these notches, is by fit, by friction between parts; so that, in order that they are not let go of the pieces, and installation is very simple, arguably a littlebit .... IKEA style”
Quique Morales: “In Benin, there are 4,000 kids, in motherhood; 500 premature babies, a year, who die, not having places like this, to grow; How it came to your mind?, because this one, that you are seeing ... is that nine months ago, it did not exist, it only existed in your head”
Alejandro: “No, no, nine months ago, it was an idea, the truth is that the idea, talking to several volunteers; the necessity rather than the idea ... the need, above all, more than the ide; we started to investigate…”
Quique: “It is very basic, I mean ... this is a fan, no more”
Alejandro: “Yes, yes, it is a computer fan; they are two, actually: one for heating (one that blows hot air and the other cold air check here). So, depending on how we want, if we heat the inside or the outside, do it, over here, leave an air and other over here”
Quique: “There the cost falls much, I mean, in the technology that you use, the cost falls…, careful... Let's see if we can put an incubator, to compare well, those which you are seeing, those, that we have in hospitals, cost about 6000 Dollards, the most basics. This one, which costs $ 250, does the same ....”
Alejandro: “Well ... it does not pretend replace one of an ICU; but the truth is that it keeps the minimum: maintains the temperature, it is able to control humidity and allows tilt a bit, depending on the needs of the child, the patient, in this case”
Quique: “In addition, it is mounted very fast ... we are going to prove it, because we already have the base there .... the bed, that you can not miss…..”
Alejandro: “….To keep it comfortable ... and here the cover, so that the internal temperature is maintained, as it should be”
Quique: “The plans are on the Internet, so that anyone who can build it, can do it, even with materials that can be found there, Already can it do?”
Alejandro: “Indeed, everything is posted on the Internet, they are published the plans for this first version and, shortly, we will publish the second version, which improves certain characteristics of Incubator”
Quique: “What do you win with this?”
Alejandro: “I do not know…In essence, nothing ... we do not make money with this... , simply, it is a nice project, with which I learned a lot ...”
Quique: “How that it is a nice project….?, that you are going to save a lot of children…!”
Alejandro: “I think that it is a very nice project and I wish ... ... that is the prize, the prize of this project would really make it work, it is used and there is a community, to help us maintain and improve it, and create new systems, for example to treat jaundice and other diseases ...”
Quique: “Can do you do more things ?. And you have done something that, six months ago, did not exist: an incubator, by 250 Dollars ..... Through your head starts ....?”
Alejandro: “Well, the truth is that you can do many things .... We have tried to design it so easy, to add new features ....”
Quique: “Like what?”
Alejandro: “But, for example, to add a light, to treat jaundice; or not only control humidity, not only to know what is the moisture inside, but also raise or lower it, depending on what you want”
Quique: “There is something we can not do, for technical reasons, .... well, you are putting the finishing touches, because this is what will go .... you can even change the inclination of the incubator, right?”
Alejandro: “Both inclination and even height, depending on some flanges, that are here, they let us vary the inclination and climb either side”.
Quique: “I am not going to give you congratulations…, I am going to give you thanks….So…All right?....And I hope that everything follow working”
Alejandro: “Thank you very much”
Quique: “And I hope that head follows working……”
Well, I hope that you ldo like this project, such as I do.
Until my next post, kind regards,
Luis.
Sponsored by Costaluz Lawyers.
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