New design to save new lives
For newborn babies in developing countries who are born with a birth defect called gastroschisis, where digestive organs exit the body through a hole in an underdeveloped abdominal wall, having access to a heated blanket in their first few hours on Earth could be a matter of life and death.
To keep these newborns from developing hypothermia while being transported for emergency surgery—sometimes to hospitals that are hours from where they were born—three UIC bioengineering students designed BreathBlanket, a heated blanket that needs no electricity. It is powered by human breath.
Mehreen Ali, Safa Hameed, and Lubna Shah created the medical device for this year’s Global Surgery Student Alliance Hackathon. The competition challenged participants to create a solution that was low-cost, sustainable, intuitive, and durable. The students conducted research, chose materials that could be readily available in the least-developed countries, and devised their solution—all within a four-hour span.
The UIC team’s design earned a first-place win. Ali, Hameed, and Shah also walked away with device-development experience and a chance to connect with experts.
“All engineering and computer science majors should try to participate in a hackathon at least once in their undergraduate career,” Ali said. “There are so many skills you can apply and develop, as well as connections you can form, so it’s a win-win-win situation.”