When Eric White had his first child, he was working for the Department of Defense and running an engineering consulting business on the side. Needless to say, his hands were full. Yet, White was unable to fall asleep peacefully. Stressed and exhausted, he and his wife would constantly wonder if their daughter was breathing. They had invested in one of the best baby monitors in the market but, as new parents, weren’t satisfied with its capabilities. “We had suddenly become those scared, sleepless, helicopter parents we never thought we would be,” White confessed.
With a background in electrical engineering and military research technologies, White decided the best solution would be to build a baby monitor himself. He then teamed up with Colt Seman to share his design and bring greater safety and awareness to other parents. From there, Miku, a completely contact-free monitor capable of seeing an infant’s breathing in real-time, came to life.
Now, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, White and Seman are adapting the use of their award-winning monitors to serve the community and help those most vulnerable. They’ve partnered with Legacy Healthcare to install Miku technology in their nursing facilities to minimize caregiver-patient interaction and reduce the potential for exposure. Additionally, the Miku team is working to protect hospital personnel and intensive care unit patients. Miku’s contact-free real-time respiratory monitoring devices are being deployed in hospitals across the country, minimizing doctor-patient interaction to lessen the risk of exposure.
Both White and Seman feel fortunate to have the opportunity to give back during this time. “People who were thriving and felt on top of the world just a few short weeks ago are now lost and filled with uncertainty. It is now more important than ever that those who are in a position to give back do so and help the world get back on its axis,” White explained.
Seman echoed these thoughts, emphasizing that even the slightest efforts can have a tremendous impact. “Sometimes it may be small, but one person’s contributions can mean the world to someone else,” he pointed out, “No matter your size or ability or wealth, there are always things you can do to contribute. Whatever it is that you can give, there will be people and organizations that can benefit so much from it.”