A team of students and researchers from the Warsaw University of Technology is working on a device to monitor the vital functions of infants during sleep. The solution is expected to detect the signals of cot death and enable a quick response.

The causes of cot death, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), are not clear. It affects toddlers who appear perfectly healthy and happens primarily during sleep (but not necessarily in bed or at night). SIDS is associated with a decrease in oxygen levels in the blood – the baby stops breathing. Doctors and researchers are trying to identify the factors that increase the risk of cot death and develop recommendations to protect against it.

Students and researchers from the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering from the Warsaw University of Technology have developed a device consisting of a system of sensors together with an information processing system to identify the occurrence of cot death in an infant. 

“The system is based on a neural network with a sequential architecture, which allows to adapt the criteria for identifying the occurrence of a life-threatening situation individually for a specific infant”, says Mikołaj Miszczak, one of the authors of the solution.

The sensor set consists of an expandable pressure mat placed in the baby’s bed, as well as a wristband/bracelet worn on the wrist. The measurement and data analysis set comprises a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter contains the heart of the system – a minicomputer that carries out the calculations and controls the parameter readings.

In the case of an alarming measurement, a signal is heard on the receiver with a loudspeaker placed in the parents’ or carers’ room. In addition, through the application, they are informed of the likely nature of the danger and instructed on further action: how to provide immediate assistance or how to reach the nearest medical facility.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński