The Freeplay Fetal Heart Rate Monitor is a human powered device that monitors an unborn child’s heart rate during labor. A large proportion of stillbirths are due to hypoxia (limited oxygen intake) during labor but traditional Doppler ultrasounds are too costly and need power and batteries. The $300 FHRM device is powered through a crank allowing healthcare workers to make life-saving decisions while off the electrical grid in developing countries.  The team won the INDEX award for this idea.

"David Woods, emeritus professor of Child Health at the University of Cape Town, is one of the developers of the device and Joy Lawn, a child health expert was also involved in the development. The Freeplay Energy team was complemented by Philip Goodwin (industrial designer), Stefan Zwahlen (electronics designer), and John Hutchinson (project leader), the makers of wind-up radios and flash lights, and three paediatricians, Woods and colleagues Dr Joy Lawn from the Medical Research Council and Professor John Wyatt from University College London."