The Neo Capsul was designed by Neil Farish and Neil Tierney after consulting hospital staff on what new products they most needed.
Lightweight Medical, the Glasgow-based company they set up, claims it will be the world’s first incubator designed specifically for transportation.
Working with clinicians, they spent three years developing the device using lightweight materials. They have licensed production and sales to Midlands-based company ParAid Systems.
Farish, 27, and Tierney, 28, are hoping to tap into a worldwide market.
“No new incubators have been developed for the past 20 years. The ones being used in ambulances now are basically a version of those used on hospital wards and are unsuitable for long journeys,” said Farish.
Advertisement
“And with the policy to develop specific hospitals as centres of excellence, it means the likelihood of longer journeys to transport babies has grown. We believe there is a real need for this.”
Both Farish and Tierney rode in ambulances with paramedics and doctors carrying premature babies to understand what was needed.
“We see ourselves as a problem-solving design company for the medical sector,” said Tierney.
Neo Capsul is a clear cylindrical container with a small mattress, access ports for nurses, a heating system and a top that opens completely for ease of access.
They have also developed a new restraint designed to stop the baby moving when the ambulance hits bumps in the road or is involved in an accident. The restraint can also be retro-fitted to existing incubators.
Advertisement
The device will be unveiled at The Lighthouse, Scotland’s National Design Centre, this week.
They were initially helped by the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust and won Shell’s Livewire award.