SBIR-STTR Award

In order to develop a device to repel children and alert parents regarding household hazards, the investigators will:1) Determine sound stimuli that have aversive characteristics for young children, and2) determine the alerting properties of the same sound stimuli for parents.Ultimately, a series of devices which serve to repel children and alert parents when a child approaches a hazard would be produced and marketed. Based on preliminary pilot work, five sound stimuli will be used in a Phase I study of 30 children at ages 24, 36, and 48 months. The children will be expose to the sound stimuli, and their behavioral responses will be video recorde and evaluated for aversiveness by "blind raters" using a standardized scale. Following confirmatory and more detailed studies anticipated in Phase II, sounds found to be most effective to repel children and alert parents will be incorporated in a product line of devices for children's environment.National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Long-term objective: determine effective and safe aversive sound stimulus which repels children and alerts parents in order to minimize child injury from electrical hazards. Ourtouch activated, sound emitting plug adapter and nightlight prototypes are first in a series of commercial applications. Others are contact or proximity activated electrical plugs/cords using flexible electronic chipboards for sound emission. Specific objective phase i: 1) develop techniques, acoustical parameters, and clinical trial to assess effectiveness of above sound stimulus based on information obtained from recent pilot study; 2) determine (sound) applicability to other electrical/non-electrical safety prototype devices under development based on preliminary findings from 1; 3) clinical trials will be conducted on 30 children. Responses to auditory stimuli will be recorded via video-tape and assessed. Employ rating scale measuring aversiveness to child via video tapedbehavior and develop parent alertness scale. A five sound random sequence of ten trials at two intensity levels repeated once will be presented. Data analysis using repeated measures anova will define acoustic parameters for phase ii and subsequent incorporation in electrical safety devices.

Benefits:
1) minimize electrical injuries/disfiguration/deaths in children; 2) decrease family stress; 3) displace medical care costs and time to bedevoted to other illnesses