WEST BANK-INTERACTIVE BABY COT Can an interactive cot ease the stress of motherhood? A Nablus duo hope so

Record ID: 565848

  • Title: WEST BANK-INTERACTIVE BABY COT Can an interactive cot ease the stress of motherhood? A Nablus duo hope so
  • Date: 2nd February 2015
  • Summary: COMPUTER SCREEN
  • Embargoed: 17th February 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA927J2350OV2XG8LQQ9IOGNSI
  • Story Text: A young Palestinian duo are perfecting a technology they hope will relieve some of the stress of motherhood.
    Tucked between the hallways of An-Najah National University in the West Bank city of Nablus, Israa Qarout and Zeinab Quree have been working inside a small computer lab on a prototype of an interactive baby cot that sends automated text messages to alert parents when their baby cries or needs a diaper change.
    The idea started as Qarout and Quree's final year university project at the Computer Engineering department where they have been studying for five years.
    Coming from the West Bank city of Tulkarim, Qarout decided to work with her colleague Quree, from Jerusalem.
    "The idea to create a baby cot that helps mothers do their household work while their babies are in a bed without having to worry," Quree told Reuters TV of how the project came to birth.
    "If the baby cries, the bed starts to move and sends a text message to the mother informing her that her baby is crying, in addition to other information like the room temperature and if the baby's diaper needs to be changed," she added.
    The current prototype is simple, consisting of a wooden bed that the two students purchased, some electricity circuits and sensors to measure humidity levels and temperature.
    "We are working on improving the invention in order to make it achieve the features we envision so that the product can become available on the market," Qarout said.
    To activate the service, users enter their mobile telephone number using a keypad that is connected to the baby cot. When the baby starts crying, the system analyses the sound to make sure it is the sound of a crying baby and not just any external noise before sending the text message.
    Qarout and Quree said the design features music that can be played to calm the baby.
    Haya al-Samaana, an instructor at the Computer Engineering Department at An-Najah National University, said the young duo need further support in order to realise their invention in a marketable form.
    "This project is unique. It is only a prototype that still needs improvements and some additional modules. God willing, I hope someone adopts this project and helps them with its development, then it will be an excellent product to become available in the Palestinian market and it can compete against other products," al-Samaana said.
    An-Najah was established as a primary school in 1918 before it became An-Najah National University in 1977.
    The university educates more than 20,000 students in both graduate and undergraduate studies, according to the administration.
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