Recycled Toyota 4Runner Could Prevent Millions of Newborn Deaths
By Kenny Luna
With approximately 3.9 million infants dying within a month of birth each year throughout the developing world, and 25 percent of those deaths due to complications of being born prematurely like heat and water loss, a group of innovative engineers at Design that Matters are finding a way to recycle cars into infant incubators and hoping to ensure that millions of kids live to see their first birthday as a result of their efforts.
According to Dr. Jonathan Rosen, a former director at the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (CIMIT) which is now promoting the program, he learned from doctors working in developing countries that no matter how remote the community there always seemed to be a working Toyota 4Runner that around. So the challenge became to “start with a 4Runner and take away all the parts that weren’t an incubator.”
And they’re doing just that, as in the Design that Matters incubator where the heat for the unit comes from a pair of headlights, an automobile air filter and fan provide the climate control, and a car door alarm signals emergencies
Now with $150,000 in initial financing from CIMIT, the project’s next step is to find funding to develop a working prototype, and then gain endorsement from organizations like the World Health Organization and the United Nations Population Fund to speed the adoption of the technology.
There’s no doubt it will be fascinating to see if this idea can survive and flourish, as there are no shortage of used vehicles, and plenty of newborns who could use the help.
For related news, visit our Health Channel for Change.
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