Baby Manikins Open Doors to Research Opportunities

摘要

The baby product market is a multi-billion-dollar industry that works to meet the needs of the babies born to a million-plus Millennials each year since 2016.' This new generation of parents is reshaping the baby product industry by demanding innovation and usability, while meeting and exceeding regulation standards focused on safety and comfort. Millennial parents want to know more about the products that they are purchasing and are becoming more aware of the importance of providing thermal comfort to the baby in a variety of situations and environments.2"4 Although many baby products could benefit from thermal testing, little research has been conducted to understand the infant's thermal comfort in relation to individual items or these items as part of a larger system. This paper discusses some of the potential research applications for thermal baby manikin technology and is organized by infant product categories including apparel, diapers, car seats, carriers and accessories, and infant bedding.