Accelerated Development of “bitbaby”

Fetal movement is a measure of normal fetal development and wellbeing. Reduced fetal movements can be an indication of fetal compromise leading to poor outcomes. Women are advised to be aware of their baby's movements and contact their maternity unit if these movements change or reduce. However, research has shown that women don't fully understand what they should be checking for and so doubt themselves, leading to increased stress/anxiety, and delays before seeking advice for reduced movements.

"bitbaby" is a passive, at-home fetal movements monitoring system, consisting of a wearable band and a mobile application. An array of accelerometers are worn in the fabric band and can detect fetal movements via vibrations through the mother's abdomen. Movement data is then presented to the mother in daily/weekly charts. A mood tracker is also provided, allowing mothers to enter daily mood logs and monitor their mental wellbeing during pregnancy on weekly charts. The aim of this is to encourage women to be more aware of their mental wellbeing during their pregnancy and be encouraged to seek advice if they notice their mood is persistently low over a period of time.

The project is designed to help accelerate development of the bitbaby system, through funding of data collection activities/studys, product development, regulatory support and intellectual property searches. Following the project, the system will be ready for final clinical investigation and submission to a notified body for conformity assessment as a class IIa medical device. Providing this to the public will improve mental health for mothers during pregnancy, and reduce associated costs to the NHS related to unnecessary admissions/interventions and poor outcomes following reduced fetal movements.