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  • Italy intros sensor-laden foundling wheels to care for abandoned babies

    by 
    Darren Murph
    Darren Murph
    02.28.2007

    While dealing with a widespread problem of abandoned children is an issue we have no interest in tackling, Italy's Family Affairs Minister Rosy Bindi apparently feels that hooking up hospitals with "modern-day foundling wheels" is the best solution. Based on an idea that dates back hundreds of years, the sensor-laden hatches that are now being installed in Italian hospitals are accessible only from the outside, and feature a specially designed window in which an unwanted child can be deposited into a warm, cushioned bed. In a recent incident, the sensors alerted the staff at Casilino Hospital, which arrived in a mere 40 seconds to care for the infant and find him a proper home. In an effort to get the message out, flyers in six languages have been posted around hospitals that encourage troubled parents to bring their child to one of the newfangled incubators. Still, we're not experts on foreign policy nor on taking care of rejected youngsters, but going from the cold, ruthless streets to a heated cubicle doesn't seem like such a raw deal for the kiddos.[Via MedGadget]