A team of researchers at the University of British Columbia have designed a bed that pulsates to diminish brain damage in premature babies.

According to an article on New Atlas, the Calmer baby bed is placed within an incubator and replicates the parents’ heartbeat and respiration when the infant is laying on it, thus relaxing the baby.

When stressed, babies breathe more shallowly which results in a lower amount of oxygen reaching the brain than usual. This is dangerous with regards to premature babies as brain damage may occur.

Preliminary trials have been performed which showed that the Calmer baby bed could prove to have the same effectiveness as a parent holding their new born.

“We were very pleased that our preliminary trial results showed that Calmer has the potential to benefit these infants whose brains are particularly vulnerable to pain and stress,” said Dr. Liisa Holsti, a leader of the research team. 

“We are expanding our evaluation of this device in more rigorous real-world conditions, and we’re in the process of redesigning it to be used in low and middle-income countries.”