Neonatal Care Solution

Hypothermia is one of the leading causes of death in premature infants, particularly in low-income countries where access to incubators is limited. Most existing solutions are either expensive, require electricity, or are single-use — creating ongoing cost and waste problems for under-resourced clinics.

This project was a deep dive into neonatal thermoregulation and the design constraints of healthcare in low-resource environments. The goal was simple: build something that actually works, can be reused, and costs almost nothing.

The result was a reusable heat pouch designed for premature newborns. The final unit cost came in at $2.21 — a fraction of existing alternatives. The design uses phase-change materials to maintain stable warmth over several hours, doesn't require electricity to activate, and can be sterilized and reused repeatedly.

The hardest part of this project wasn't the engineering — it was understanding the distribution and adoption problem. A good product doesn't help if clinics can't get it, can't afford it, or don't trust it. That system-level thinking reshaped how I approached the design entirely.