HolisCare

The Problem

The identified problem is that there is a lack of parental supervision for infants, which can have consequences ranging from minor discomforts for infants to even unexpected deaths, with 3,600 deaths in the United States alone. Parents, in general, do not have the capacity to monitor their infant children all the time, this results in gaps in the process of infant care. The gaps in care in this proposal are defined by periods in which parents do not monitor their infant children. The identified problem is serious as such gaps can have both minor and dire consequences, they include infant children suffering the discomfort of having defecated in their cots and even suffering from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

The Solution

As such, we propose to implement a solution called HolisCare, which is an integrated and all-rounded infant care system utilising Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities to facilitate the process for infant caretaking, mitigating SIDS and reducing physical exhaustion for parents. The system consists of a common backend server, a mobile application, and 3 smart devices in the form of a cradle, a milk warmer, and a diaper container.

The Features

Backend Server

The backend server will contain the business logic of the whole infant care system, serving as the application programming interface (API) for the mobile application and smart devices.

Mobile Application

The mobile application will be the primary point of contact parents have with the system. The mobile application will enable parents to execute a range of care and supervision activities, including monitoring their infant children through a camera, remotely controlling the cradle, and retrieving information with regards to milk consumption.

Cradle

The smart cradle will serve to hold an infant child where he/she can rest. As infants spend most of their time sleeping between feeds especially in the first couple of months from birth, a cradle will be a necessity. The features associated with the cradle will be as listed:

• Detect crying and either pacify the infant child with soothing music and cradle movements, or notify parents depending on whether he/she has slept for a preset amount of time
• Video surveillance with movement detection
• Detect signs of impending SIDS and notify parents
• Geofencing to alert parents if the infant child leaves a designated zone

Milk Warmer

The smart milk warmer will be able to produce milk from pre-stored milk powder and hot water, it will also be able to heat and keep milk warm. Milk is important for infant children as it is a major source of nutrients and is effectively a necessity for them as they need 2 cups daily to meet calcium and fat requirements. Hence, a milk maker will be an important component of infant care. The feature associated with the milk maker will be as listed:

• Warm up the milk, automatically stop when the milk is deemed to be warm enough and notify parents

Diaper Container

The smart diaper container will serve as a holder for diapers, it can also submit purchase orders when more are needed. The average age for children to start toilet training is between 18 months and 2 and a half years , until then, diapers are commonly used. Therefore, a diaper container will be useful for parents. The features associated with the diaper container will be as listed:

• Store diapers and keep them clean
• Track diaper weight and automatically submit purchase orders when the quantity runs low