75% of premature infant deaths are preventable with basic thermoregulation (World Health Organisation)
At The World's No. 1 Sports University
A student idea saves newborns across the globe.
One in 10 babies worldwide are born pre-term every year.
One million of these premature babies die. Many would survive if appropriate neonatal care and equipment, like incubators, were available.
Neonatal hypothermia is a major threat. When a newborn’s body temperature drops below 36.5°C, cold stress can cause low blood sugar, breathing difficulties and a higher risk of infection.
Keeping babies at the right temperature, especially those born prematurely, is essential.
One Loughborough University Design School graduate is striving to change this.
James Roberts MBE is the inventor of the mOm Essential, an innovative neonatal incubator that is delivering life-saving care around the world.
How a student project became a global lifeline
James studied Product Design and Technology, graduating in 2014.
Inspired by a BBC Panorama documentary about Syrian refugees, his final-year design project addressed a critical issue – the shortage of neonatal incubators threatening the survival of countless newborns.
The subject resonated with James. His mother was born prematurely in the 1960s and was one of the first babies to access an incubator in London. Without this life-saving medical machine, James says, she wouldn’t be here.
Even today, caring for premature babies is an issue and access to incubators is a global problem. Neonatal hypothermia continues to be one of the most avoidable threats to newborn babies.
James decided to address this challenge, creating an alternative to conventional incubators.
His innovation won the James Dyson Award in 2014, the international prize that celebrates problem-solving ideas. The Award provided the initial funding that supported the launch of James’ company, mOm Incubators, and the ongoing development of his flagship product.
mOm is now used in about 10 countries – including Haiti, Kenya, the UK and Ukraine. Trusted by the NHS and humanitarian organisations alike, it has already improved the life chances of more than 20,000 babies.
“James’ (mOm’s) invention shows the impact design engineering can have on people’s lives. By bravely challenging convention, [mOm] has created something that could save thousands of lives.”
Inventor and entrepreneur
What makes mOm so special?
The mOm Essential is a portable incubator. Compared to conventional incubators, it is cost effective, lightweight and easy to transport, packing down to half its operational size, meaning it can be deployed anywhere.
Quick to set up, easy to use and extremely energy efficient, it can cope with unstable power supplies and performs as well as a conventional incubator, keeping babies warm and monitoring vital signs.
These unique design features mean that mOm can be used anywhere. They are currently being used in UK hospitals in areas where conventional incubators cannot go, keeping the parents and baby together and improving bonding. They are also deployed in humanitarian settings in field hospitals, emergency medical stations and remote clinics.
What challenges does mOm tackle?
Maintaining a baby’s normal, healthy core body temperature while ensuring it remains with its mother reduces NICU admissions, neonatal complications, healthcare costs and parental separation anxiety.
For every 1°C drop in temperature, a baby faces an increased mortality threat of 28%
Cold stress can cause hypothermia and complications – including respiratory distress and hypoglycaemia
More than 90,000 babies (about one in seven) are admitted to a UK NICU every year
Separating parents and newborns has an emotional toll – after just one month, many parents experience anxiety or post-traumatic stress
Incubating life-saving innovations at Loughborough University
James describes Loughborough University as a place where people encourage one another to be their very best.
This shared drive to improve kept him focused through the nine months of his final year as he researched and developed mOm – a process he describes as “falling in love with the problem”.
He credits his tutors and course mates with challenging his thinking, inspiring him to think big and really push his natural ability for product design to the limit. His design education at Loughborough University taught him the value of ‘falling in love with the problem, not the idea’ and Loughborough’s culture of innovation is something that’s stuck with him since.
His placement year in New York, working in furniture manufacturing, taught him a huge amount about customer relations, manufacturing lines and corporate structures.
It also opened his eyes to blue-sky thinking, giving him the freedom to think on a grand scale and the ambition to tackle a life-changing challenge.
Today, mOm employs several Loughborough alumni, reflecting the strength of the University’s graduates. James also shapes opportunities for future generations of Loughborough students through his roles on the University Council and Alumni Advisory Board.
mOm’s global impact
mOm has been deployed worldwide – including in Haiti, Kenya, the UK, Ukraine and US
The life chances of more than 20,000 babies have been positively impacted by mOm so far
In the UK, the mOm Essential is estimated to support annual cost savings of more than £65,000 per device per year
mOm’s first patient, Robin, is now five years old
An award-winning innovator
James has received multiple international honours and awards, recognising the far-reaching impacts of mOm, including:
2014 The James Dyson Award
2017 MD+DI MedTech Rising Star
2018 MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35
2023 Winner of the Princess Royal Silver Medal
2025 James received an MBE for services to Engineering and Entrepreneurship
A major step towards global impact
The mOm Essential has passed strict Medical Device Regulation testing and is approved for use across Europe. In January 2026, it received FDA clearance in the US – another major step towards global adoption.
“It was a magical moment when our first patient was settled into a mOm unit nearly five years ago. My hope is that one day soon, our incubators – as well as other devices that we will work on – will be improving the experience for parents and life chances of babies all over the world.”
mOm Incubators
An innovative medical technology company providing cost-effective, portable neonatal incubators to give every child the best start in life, wherever they are born.
Visit mOm Incubators
Discover more about the mOm Essential and how innovative engineering is transforming neonatal healthcare worldwide.
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