A high tech, smart bangle in Asia will
now deliver pregnancy tips and alert women about the presence and level of
indoor air pollution, particularly carbon monoxide, a byproduct of cooking
activities using wood, coal and animal dung.
Grameen Intel Social Business Ltd. has
developed ‘COEL', the state of art device which is expected to improve health
of pregnant women in remote and rural areas of Asia.
COEL, which stands for Carbon Monoxide
Exposure Limiter can be programmed to speak 80 different messages. In addition, it can be programmed to deliver
2 messages per week according to the gestational dating.
The messages, known as MAMA messages,
have been jointly developed by Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA)
through a partnership between USAID, Johnson & Johnson, UN Foundation, the
Health Alliance and BabyCenter.
The Bangle is water resistant, made of
durable plastic, has a microprocessor that has the ability to process
preprogrammed instruction, it does not require internet and the battery is
designed to last for full 10 months.
The messages also remind the mother
for her scheduled doctor visits, vaccinations and informs her about emergency
visits if she suffers from blood deficiency, convulsions, and cramps.
The messages can be delivered in 80
different languages to reach women from varied cultural and ethnic
background.
If the device senses that there is a
high concentration of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere, a red light will go up
and flashes as an alert. It will also ask the mother to move to a safer
environment or open the windows and doors so the carbon monoxide is washed
away.
If the mother is in harmful
environment, the device beeps and alert her to safer area.
Currently it is available in only one
size that fits about 60% of women.
"In rural areas, mobile
connectivity - and mobile access for women - is an issue, as phones are
controlled by men," said Pavel Hoq, chief operating officer at Intel
Social Business, which developed the new device.
It has already been tested
successfully in Uttar Pradesh. Grameen
Intel has made available 5000 of these bangles in rural Bangladesh and is much
appreciated by the rural women.
It is initially priced at $12-$15 and
would be sold in India and Bangladesh first, followed by Nepal.
In Bangladesh about 70% are home
deliveries with 5,000 maternal deaths and 77,000 neonatal deaths each year.
The Grameen Intel Social Business is a
collaboration between Grameen Trust and Intel formed in 2009 with the sole aim
of eradicating poverty and improving lives with the help of technology.
