Scientists develop prototype of smart pacifier to relieve pain for newborns in intensive care units

Researchers from Pukyong National University, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Washington State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Wichita State University, and Georgia Tech and Emory University have developed a smart pacifier designed to monitor a number of indicators in premature infants in intensive care units.

"We know that if premature babies receive high-quality care in their first month of life, they have a better chance of survival," said Jong-Hoon Kim, an associate professor at Washington State and co-corresponding author of the study. "Typically, in a hospital setting, they draw blood from babies twice a day, so they only get two data points. This device is a noninvasive way to monitor electrolyte concentrations in real time in babies."

The device is about as non-invasive as you’d imagine: It’s a pacifier, originally developed as a way to soothe and calm babies. Based on a modified off-the-shelf pacifier, the product works by sampling saliva and measuring sodium and potassium ion levels—transmitting the data via Bluetooth to an edge network system for recording and long-term monitoring.

“There were photos of babies in the NICU with a bunch of wires hooked up to check their health, like heart rate, breathing rate, temperature and blood pressure. We wanted to get rid of those wires.”

Upon testing, the prototype appeared to show good stability and sensitivity for both measurements, which could be used as an important means of tracking infants’ hydration levels and avoiding dehydration, but the team admits work still needs to be done to reduce costs and improve its recyclability.