Did you ever wish you had a “reassurance window” during pregnancy to see
what was really happening to your baby in the womb? University of New
South Wales design student Melody Shlue created a concept to offer just
that. Here
is an e-textile based apparatus that uses 4D ultrasound to provide an
X-ray vision of sorts to pregnant women, their partners, and well, any
passersby. Women would wear the belt around their pregnant bellies and a
screen on the front showcases Baby’s latest fetal tricks whether he’s
yawning, sucking his thumb, doing flips or just plain taking a snooze.
Read on to learn more about this pregnancy gadget concept.
The PreVue Fetal Visualization Device, which was shortlisted for the
Australian James Dyson Award, achieves the rounded belly-shaped screen
thanks to the latest stretchable display technology. Shlue was inspired
to create this design concept in part due to the fact that Australian
research indicates that pregnant women sense less than a third of fetal
activity, and some moms begin to worry when they don’t feel their baby
moving between trips to the doctor. This device would provide on the
spot assurance for those stressful moments, so the mom-to-be can see for
herself that her unborn baby is behaving normally. Though, some moms
may still wonder if what they see on the screen is normal or not.
Another nice plus for the PreVue is that the dad-to-be can take a
more active role in the pregnancy. Even though he can’t feel the baby,
with this gadget, he could see the baby and it could help the future
father bond with baby-to-be more. Shlue says that it also establishes
early maternal bonding, which can help keep mothers in a positive state
of mind for a healthy delivery. She sites research that moms who sing a
song repeatedly through pregnancy can use that same song later to soothe
their crying baby. Babies start to hear and recognize their mother’s
voice during week 12 of pregnancy and by being able to see what’s going
on inside your belly, you can observe the reactions, reflexes and
expressions that arise after singing, talking or even tapping on your
belly.
But Is it Safe?
We’d love to see what a baby’s kick was like live on the PreVue
screen, and surely the opportunity to see fetal development as it
happens would be beyond amazing, but what about the safety of so many
unnecessary ultrasounds? Even though the routine ultrasounds that are a
part of every healthy pregnancy have never been found to be harmful, the
FDA and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine discourage
non-medical ultrasound use for entertainment or other purposes.
Ultimately, we bet safety concerns would one reason this device is held
back from becoming reality.
UPDATE: In response to safety concerns, Shlue says,
“In compliance with ultrasonic regulations outlined by the British
Medical Ultrasound Society, I have proposed limitations on the usage of
my device to a fixed frequency (10 MHz), maximum scanning time (20
minutes every 24 hours), and that a countdown time be apparent on screen
with friendly notifications not ‘warnings’.” Also, during her research
for the project, Shlue interviewed mothers about their interests. Moms
said they would most likely use the device with a time frame of 5 to 10
minutes (preferably before bedtime, which is also when the most fetal
activity occurs) just to check in on their baby.
+ PreVue Fetal Visualization Device
+ Melody Shlue
沒有留言:
張貼留言