Turning a Pickup Truck into a Functional Incubator

A low-cost baby incubator meant for third-world country use is made from car parts and has been designed for easy maintenance and repair.

A team of engineers and designers at the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (CIMIT; Boston, MA, USA), a consortium of teaching hospitals and engineering schools, took apart an operational Toyota 4Runner truck, and along with off the shelf parts, developed sequential looks-like and works-like prototype incubators. The resulting devices are literally made from car parts; the heat source is a pair of headlights; a car door alarm signals an emergency, and an auto air filter and fan provide climate control. The incubator fits comfortably in hospitals and clinics equipped with few resources. Infants born at 32 weeks' gestation or longer can receive supplemental oxygen while their lungs gain strength, antibiotics if they have infections, and low-lit quiet in which to sleep if their mothers are away or are otherwise unable to hold them. In an emergency, the incubator's bassinet can be removed and carried to another part of the building or even to another hospital.

"The main causes of newborn death--infections, preterm birth, and asphyxiation--are readily treatable with the right expertise and equipment,” said lead developer Kristian Olson, M.D., M.PH.

The inventors explained that current incubators are of limited utility and longevity in the third world, due to lack of replacement parts, maintenance personnel, and baseline designs intended for different settings. Thousands of incubators have been donated from wealthier nations, only to end up in "incubator graveyards”--most broken, and some never opened. The car parts incubator, however, could be maintained by local auto mechanics; and since the supply of replacement parts is virtually limitless, it could be adapted to utilize parts from any make or model of car.

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Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology