Innovated by designers Chris Barnes and others at Cambridge Consultants of Cambridge, ‘Little I’ empowers parents in low resource countries to monitor the health of their newborns by providing a low-cost, durable device that gives them assurance of their newborn’s survival despite lack of medical knowledge. 28 days after the birth, the device is returned which is then cleaned and recharged to be used by the next newborn.

‘Little I’ is designed as a strap-on shoe that comes with a silicone strap and case for holding the electronics. Included in the shoe are temperature sensors and SPO2 sensors that monitor the health of the baby regularly.

Provocative/Speculative Design: Little iSole

Adding multi-modal features to assist the guardian or parent taking care of the child, sounds and lights can help indicate different scenarios and settings of the child or the shoe.

The main body of the shoe that house the sensors and output actuators is removable from the skeleton of the sandal, allowing quick swaps or change/customisation in shoe designs. From a regular shoe, the sensors can be attached or removed if needed.

While originally designed to assist newborns in the third world countries, the iSole is meant to help caretakers in the first world country/city and also to soothe and comfort the baby.