Smart sock alerts parents if baby stops breathing

This sock can do much more than keep baby's feet warm - it can even save baby's life - once it hits the market. Created by students at Brigham Young University, the sock is a baby monitor that straps around a baby's foot and uses pulse oximetry to monitor heart rate and blood-oxygen levels. The device, dubbed the Owlet Baby Monitor, will alert parents via a smartphone app if it senses the infant stopped breathing or if his or her heart rate suddenly changes. “Our hope is that we can give parents time to react and see that something’s wrong before it’s too late,” said student innovator Jacob Colvin, a European studies major and a father of two himself. Colvin and his five colleagues created the device, which is wireless and uses non-invasive technology. His colleagues include chemical engineering students Kurt Workman and Anna Hawes, mechanical engineering students Jason Dearden and Wyatt Felt, and Tanor Hodges, a nurse at the University of Utah. The team hopes the device will help reduce the annual cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). There are around 2,500 SIDS cases in the United States each year. Recently, Colvin and his team debuted a prototype of the device at the third annual Student Innovator of the Year competition, bagging first place and crowd favorite awards, with cash prizes totaling $6,000. Sponsoring the Student Innovator of the Year competition were the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology and the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology. Leading the competition is Venture Factory, a student organization that encourages innovation. “The Owlet baby monitor has the potential to really benefit our society – and bring some peace of mind to new parents. I can easily imagine Owlet or any one of the 39 teams creating a successful venture in the near future," said Justin Zsiros, faculty adviser to the competition. But the team still has much to do, including finalizing the patent and testing more prototypes. “If we can hear just one mother say that we made a difference, it would all be worth it. That makes all the difference in the world,” Colvin said. A separate article on Gizmodo said that while the device will not prevent or treat SIDS, it could help reduce the number of SIDS-related deaths every year. "It might not be as cute as the footsie pajamas you've got in stock, but these do so much more than just look adorable," it said. — LBG, GMA News