Affordable Pressure-Sensing Gloves Aim To Prevent Stillbirths Without Ultrasound

A stillbirth is a harrowing experience, physically and emotionally, for a woman to go through. It can occur when a woman has difficulty birthing due to the baby being in a position that cannot pass through the birth canal.
 
Ultrasounds are usually used to determine the baby’s position; from there, doctors can decide on the next course of action. However, third-world countries may not have the luxury or the commodities to help these women and babies. So, what are their options?
 
Scientists at the University College London are rethinking ways to get around stillbirths with cheap surgical gloves that can sense the baby’s position without requiring ultrasound machinery. The initial study was first published in Frontiers in Global Women’s Health.
 
What they have done is attach a strip of flexible pressure and force sensors to a standard glove. These sensors are made of metal-oxide nanocomposites, which power up when touched or rubbed against objects.
 
In testing the product, the team carried out experiments on silicon model heads. Moving forward, the researchers hope to conduct real-life clinical trials.
 
During labor, a doctor can use gloves to perform a vaginal exam and feel where the baby’s head is, and the sensors send data back to the computer. In the future, the technology could even connect to a smartphone, where it will show the body’s orientation.
 
The gloves also alert their user to how much pressure they are employing not to hurt the patient or the baby.
 
What sells this project is the fact that it only takes US$1 to produce the gloves, making it a feasible option for lower-income countries.
 
 
 
[via New Atlas and Frontiers, Photo 173669369 © NatmacStock | Dreamstime.com]