‘Nido’, a system of containment and sensory stimulation for premature babies, already holds a European patent

The alumni Eva Diaz Mecchia, from the Degree in Industrial Design Engineering, is the creator of Nido, a system of containment and sensory stimulation for premature babies that facilitates the transition from the mother’s womb to the incubator. Due to its shape and materials, it adapts perfectly to the newborn, helping their development, reducing risks and improving the working time of the care team, through a common working methodology. Nido optimises the recovery process of premature babies, who are delicate beings that require special care, combining medicine, design and engineering.

Nido is designed with different modules aimed at postural control of the premature infant and reducing stress levels, imitating the maternal environment as closely as possible. To strengthen maternal bonding and reduce sleep apnoea, Nido has a system of containment and sensory stimulation that meets the baby’s physical and emotional needs.

The project was born from the student’s Final Degree Project, with the collaboration of the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital. Currently, it has been tested in different hospitals in Spain and is being introduced in hospitals in South America. Nido is already patented at European level, has been classified as a “medical device” and is awaiting the update of its certification in order to continue to be marketed.

“Thanks to the involvement of the professionals of the Hospital de Sant Joan de Déu in the design and development, the project has been able to move forward to become a real device for premature babies. Currently, we continue to collaborate to improve the product and to be able to translate the needs of the sector into the final product”, says Eva Díaz, designer of Nido.

At the end of last year, Nido won second prize in the i4KIDS competition, within the framework of the Pediatric Innovation Day, organised by the Pediatric Innovation Hub and coordinated by the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital. This prize, worth €15,000, has allowed the project to take the next steps.

The project plans to launch a “Nido Home” version both to accompany parents in the care of their premature newborns once at home and to offer new parents a product for their babies, born from experts in care focused on the development of the youngest.