Engineering firm Draper has received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop ultrasound imaging systems for the early detection of high-risk pregnancies in developing countries.
According to the World Health Organization, high-risk pregnancies are one of the leading causes of maternal death in developing countries, accounting for 99% of more than 300,000 of these deaths recorded in 2015, Draper said.
With the Gates Foundation grant, the company will explore design options for an ultrasound system that can be used in low-resource environments, perhaps even without the need for trained operators. One idea is an ultrasound blanket that can be draped over a woman's abdomen, requiring no specific orientation or alignment by an operator. The blanket could be linked to a display screen, and exam results could be viewed either at the point of care or remotely, according to the firm.
