Experimental Motion-Sensing Belt to Help Avoid Still Births
Posted by Amber Robinson at 9:34 AM on June 10, 2009
Around 2000 babies are stillborn every year in Australia and many of these cases occur unexpectedly in the final weeks of pregnancy.
What’s even scarier is that doctors still don’t know why.
In a world-first Australian project, researchers are developing a special belt that can be worn by women in their final months of pregnancy and which may help women avoid still birth.
The belt is fitted with tiny accelerometers which use motion-sensing technology found in the Apple iPhone and Nintendo Wii to detect foetal movement.
The belt has been trialled by about 200 pregnant women so far at Victoria’s Royal Women’s Hospital, Queensland’s The Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital (RBWH) and the Mater Mothers’ Hospital.
The project aims to generate a picture of healthy baby movement, so women can be more accurately assessed for an induced birth or caeserean.
The belt’s research and development phase is likely to take another three years.
There are currently no comments.