Client: ROOTS Medtech
GOOD DESIGN AWARD WINNER
IDSA IDEA AWARD FINALIST

Context
In 2019, 2.4 million children globally died during their first month of life. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in low-resource areas such as Ghana, a large proportion of births occur outside of a clinical setting which pose a much higher risk to a newborn. A risk compounded by inadequate or absent neonatal weighing and monitoring equipment.

Working with extensive input from nurses across Ghana, including outreach clinics, neonatal wards and labour wards, ROOTS Medtech discovered that weighing scales that are currently available in locations like Ghana are often analogue, providing low accuracy and reliability, and are too cumbersome to transport to remote locations. This could explain why, in Ghana, only 60% of infants are weighed at birth.

With this in mind, ROOTS Medtech wanted to create something that could provide access to accurate measurements, leading to improved dosing, better nutrition and weight, healthier development and ultimately better socio-economic life chances/outcomes.​​​​​​​

Examples of existing weighing scale setups:

Solution

The ROOTS Solar Scales are a low cost, safe, transportable and accurate neonatal weighing scale for local health teams in remote socio-economically challenged communities.

Easy to transport: Nurses often travel to hard-to-access locations via scooter or on foot. In contrast to current heavy and cumbersome scales, the unique backpack-like design and lightweight materials makes it ideal for journeys to remote locations.

Reliable power supply: A reliable and sustainable power source is critical. Being powered by solar relieves the need to worry about charging the device. As a backup, the device contains a USB charging port.

Highly accurate measurements: This design uses a combination of load cells and simple LCD display to provide an inexpensive yet highly accurate and easy to read result.
Equipment storage: A zip pouch on the inside of the scales provides a transparent space to fit common medical equipment and records.

Safe & secure: The curvature of the bowl removes the possibility of the baby rolling out of the device, yet the walls aren't high enough that the lid can be closed with the baby inside. The hinge of the lid is stiff so the lid can't be dropped onto a baby either, should someone accidentaly pull the door over with the baby inside.

Easy to clean: Current solutions are often made of metal, rusting over time and being uncomfortably cold or hot against the infant’s skin. The ROOTS weighing bowl is made of plastic to counter this. Simple surfaces, such as the main bowl, provide an easy to clean surface between consultations.

Cost effective & repairability: A combination of simple finishes and technology allows the device to be inexpensive yet accurate and fit-for- purpose. The device uses a minimal number of parts and simple construction that, should the device encounter damage, is easy to replace parts.

GOOD DESIGN AWARD WINNER 2021
IDSA IDEA FEATURED FINALIST 2021

Additional project members:
Louisa Harvey and Alper Hulusi (ROOTS Medtech) - Client
Sebastien Cuvelier Mussalian (Pix Medical) - Technology Consultant

ROOTS Medtech are a not-for-profit company based in Cambridge UK, dedicated to uncovering medical device needs in low- and middle-income countries, with a focus on improving the health outcomes of women and children.