Inflatable baby incubator wins James Dyson Award 2014

An affordable inflatable baby incubator, intended for use in the developing world, has won the prestigious James Dyson Award for design and innovation.

The product - known as MOM - is capable of providing the same performance as a £30,000 incubation system but only costs £250 to make, test and transport.

According to the World Health Organisation, 75% of deaths resulting from premature birth could be avoided if inexpensive treatments were more readily available.

The product's inventor, recent Loughborough Univerity graduate James Roberts, 23, explained:

“I was inspired to tackle this problem after watching a documentary on the issue for premature babies in refugee camps. It motivated me to use my design engineering skills to make a difference.

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"Like many young inventors, there have been struggles along the way – I had to sell my car to fund my first prototype! The dream would be to meet a child that my incubator has saved – living proof that my design has made a difference.”

The collapsible device runs off a 24-hour battery and is blown up manually, while heat is provided by ceramic heating elements. The temperature and humidity can be customised and are displayed on a screen, while an an alarm will sound if the chosen temperature changes. There's also a collapsible phototherapy unit for babies that suffer from jaundice.

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Roberts will receive £30,000 in prize money to carry out further prototyping and testing and to eventually put the incubator into mass production.

Innovation clearly runs in the family as Roberts's grandfather helped to invent the cooling cores used in nuclear reactors while his brother is studying Industrial Design at Loughborough.

The James Dyson Award runs in 18 countries and is awarded by Lord James Dyson, inventor and founder of the famous company that bears his name.

The contest is open to university level students (or recent graduates) studying relevant subjects, who "design something that solves a problem.”