If you hang around long enough, you will know that Neowin is a big supporter of Imagine Cup and if you want to know why, take a look at what team Miracle Workers was able to create using Windows 8, Windows Phone and other Microsoft technologies.
If you have never heard of SIDS, consider yourself lucky. SIDS stands for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and is often referred to colloquially as "cot death" or "crib death", as this is where it most frequently occurs. As the name suggests, when you place your child down for sleep, SIDS can strike and bring an end to a young life.
While what team Miracle Workers created may not be a first in the industry, their implementation and cost-effective solution makes it much easier and more affordable to fight this syndrome.
Take a look at the video below to get a better idea of what they"ve created - but to put it simply, there is a pad with sensors that can measure a heartbeat, respiration and movement of a child that can all be streamed to Windows 8 apps or to a Windows Phone. Note: The statistics mentioned are for premature babies, who are particularly vulnerable to SIDS.
The application can track breathing patterns over time and compare it to averages for the child’s age, which the application automatically calculates and adjusts based on the child’s birthdate.
The cost for the pad is cheap, ringing up the register at $100.00 and to make it even better, it is a low power device (when compared to similar products on the market). Another benefit is that these pads are reusable after the child grows past the SIDS age.
These types of applications are what Imagine Cup is all about. By challenging students to change the world, we now have a new tool to fight SIDS.