Rubi Life, a new startup has come up with a novel idea of tracking fetal movement without using any type of ultrasonic technology. Rubi is a revolutionary wearable pregnancy monitor that uses passive nanotechnology to track baby’s kicks in the third trimester so that you know just how active your baby is.
Doctors recommend kick counting as a way to monitor your baby’s health in the third trimester.
Studies have shown that counting kicks is the best way to track your baby’s health in the third trimester; it is way better than ultrasound or heart rate. When Rubi counts the baby kicks, it then sends the data via bluetooth to the mother’s smartphone, where a simple machine learning algorithm tracks what is normal for the mother and the baby. This allows the mother to be informed about her baby’s health in real time. If Rubi detects unusual activity, the mother is notified to do a “non-stress test.”
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For nervous moms-to-be who worry about their pregnancy, Rubi is the best way to passively track baby movement without laying down for hours every day.
How does Rubi work?
As your baby moves around during your third trimester, they cause vibrations, ripples and other types of forces that can be hard to keep track of when you are going about your day. Special stretch sensors can track unusual movement patterns and send alerts to your smart phone.
Stretch Sensors lay out the outside of the belly where baby usually kicks. As the sensors are stretched, they change electrical voltage. Rubi can tell the difference between mom’s movements and baby kicks.
Background story
In 2016, co-founder Eric Stopper and his wife Kamali’I learned that they were going to have a baby. However, for Kamali’I the pregnancy was a very difficult one. She was experiencing stress, anxiety and sickness every day.
When she finally gave birth, the baby had difficulty breathing and weighed only 4 lbs. They learned that their newborn son had a traumatic brain injury. That required the doctors to put him in a hypothermic coma in order to keep his brain from sustaining any more damage.
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After 30 days of incredible neonatal care, they were able to bring their son home from the hospital in time for Christmas.
Because of this hardship, Eric and a few other passionate parents teamed up with university researchers to create Rubi, the world’s first passive wearable pregnancy monitor.
