WrapCool

Student Team

Master of Engineering: Amelia Lin, Emilio Zheng Han Lim 
Undergraduates: Anya Maheshwari, Taylor Jones, Thea Bueno 

Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation during birth, is a leading cause of neonatal death and long-term disability worldwide. Its incidence is approximately 1.5 per 1,000 live births in high-resource settings, but this rate rises to as many as 30 per 1,000 in low- and middle-income countries. Among affected infants, 10–60% do not survive, and up to 40% of survivors experience significant neurodevelopmental impairment.1 

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is the only proven neuroprotective treatment for HIE.2 However, its life-saving potential remains out of reach for many newborns due to the high cost, complexity, and logistical limitations of existing TH devices. Tragically, the regions most burdened by HIE are also the least equipped to provide timely intervention, perpetuating a cycle of preventable harm. 

To address this crisis, we propose CapCool, an innovative therapeutic hypothermia system. CapCool is engineered to overcome the critical barriers of cost, complexity, and unreliability that limit the reach of current treatments. By integrating advanced automation and user-centered design, CapCool aims to make this life-saving therapy safer, more effective, and accessible to all newborns, regardless of geography or economic status.