Technologies

We are actively seeking novel technologies or devices with proven or provable efficacy that assist in “helping babies sleep”. This solution is aimed at infants under 3 years old (primarily 0-18 months) whose erratic sleep patterns affect both their sleep and that of their parents

There are a variety of products commercially available with claims of improving infant sleeping behaviour including special toys, light and sound based solutions; however these assertions are often unsubstantiated and our client is specifically interested in technology that delivers a solution proven and endorsed by experts (e.g. paediatrician, mid-wife, etc).

Devices could be relevant for any of the multiple development stages that infants go through, and could be to encourage the infant to fall asleep, as well as return to sleep once disturbed. Products that include digital connectivity are of particular interest – e.g. using monitoring to guide the parent with intelligent decision making to improve the sleep of the child. Current devices are not generally ‘intelligent’, applying the solution irrespective of the infant’s state – solutions that can monitor multiple parameters of sleep patterns and behaviour, give feedback to the parent (e.g. via smartphone) and then apply a solution in response to that state would be of key interest. Research / clinical data on infant sleep that could be used with proprietary algorithms to control devices is also of interest, as are technologies to apply proven methodology and support parents in the execution (i.e. not just a book coaching the method).
Key Requirements of a Potential Solution
• Should provide the consumer with a real perceived benefit (Parent and Child)
• Must be safe and reliable
• Must be a proven technology/method (Clinical or Scientific proof of concept) or be professionally endorsed
• Should be in the form of a technology or method which can be productised
Exclusions
• Solutions in the form of Drugs or Medicines
• Solutions that interfere or have a negative effect with the natural development of a child
• Medical devices that require professional prescription/involvement
• Solutions that are dependent on the skill of the user (parent and child)
• Toys that do not have concrete/scientific proof of added benefits
• Solutions requiring fixed installation – needs to be usable wherever baby is sleeping