BabyBeat - a computer system developed by students of BGU Departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences could be used to battle Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), as well for telemedicine applications. It uses computer algorithms to convert video footage to pulses that represent a baby's heartbeat and skin tone. In the event that the system detects an abnormal heartbeat, an alarm sounds to awaken the baby, change its breathing pattern and alert the parents.
SIDS is the unexpected, sudden death of a child under age one in which an autopsy does not show an explainable cause of death. No one knows what causes SIDS, but researchers have theorized that a dramatic drop in heart rate occurs just before death. Thousands of babies die from this phenomenon each year in the United States.
Tomer Apel and Anava Finesilver developed the program as part of their final research project. While still early in the development process, the software program will work with a basic video camera and home computer, which minimizes cost.
"Heart pulse affects the skin tone," Tomer Apel explains. "This is such a minor change that it's not visible to the human eye, but it's still there. We have developed algorithms to interpret the discoloration recorded by the camera and translate them into pulses. It's widely assumed that baby's pulses slow down before SIDS, and this system could help prevent this."
After further testing, if BabyBeat continues to perform as expected, the students will seek to commercially produce and market the innovation.
The system has other potential applications. It can monitor sleeping babies at daycare, as well as patients online in real time, providing for quality "telemedicare" when needed.
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Source-Eurekalert