WAAA! The conception and rapid development of a wearable for good technology

Worldwide, 1 million babies die on the day they are born and one-third of all births take place without the assistance of a skilled healthcare worker (UNICEF 2018 We Care Solar 2014. “Annual Report 2014.” Accessed 28 February 2018. https://wecaresolar.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2014-annual-report_we-care-solar.pdf [Google Scholar] ). This case study describes the conception and development of a Wearable, Anytime, Anywhere, APGAR (WAAA!) designed to address neonatal mortality. WAAA! was originally conceived as a part of a 6 h academic innovation challenge. The event brought together impromptu teams with the brief to develop an innovation that would address maternal and/or infant wellbeing. The WAAA! team synthesized their disciplinary expertise in design, business, engineering, computer gaming and public health to conceive a soft patch surveillance system that specifically monitored APGAR signs. The WAAA! team became a finalist in UNICEF’s Wearables for Good challenge. A 2-week development and mentoring programme in conjunction with Philips, IDEO, ARM and Apple advanced the raw idea into a comprehensive system, service and product solution consisting of APGAR education materials, a gateway communication unit and two-part wearable.