The average price of an incubator is around $6,000, a very high amount that many hospitals in the world’s most disadvantaged regions can hardly afford. To address this problem, our CTO, Alejandro Escario Méndez, designed a low-cost incubator (under $300 per unit) that is simple to install and use. In fact, a prototype is already being used in a maternity ward in Benin, thanks to a partnership with the Alaine Foundation. This project was awarded by the Castilla-La Mancha Association of Industrial Engineers on December 1, at its annual gala, which a delegation from the Madrija team also attended.
The incubator has a wooden frame with small plastic parts. Its electronics were designed to heat and cool the internal space, as well as to control temperature and humidity.
This award adds to others already earned, such as Best Medical Project at the 2015 Global Fab Awards, organized by the Center for Bits and Atoms at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
