This Incubator Keeps Newborns Safe During Blackouts

The Robust Nest is a new incubator design that hopes to fill a vital need worldwide, saving the lives of newborn babies. The transportable incubator was designed by Fabien Roy, a graduate with a master’s degree in product design from ECAL, the Lausanne University of Art and Design in Switzerland. The design is intended to be smaller, more portable, and capable of withstanding blackouts or power loss. According to UNICEF, 1.1 million newborns die of hypothermia in sub-Saharan Africa within their first month of life. Hypothermia is increasingly recognized as a significant cause of infant death in areas low on resources, including South Asia. According to the World Health Organization, thermal care is a critical component of essential newborn care, yet hypothermia remains under-documented, under-recognized, and under-managed.