Samsung’s new app aims to help premature babies hear their mothers

Samsung is putting a lot of effort in healthcare. It recently released a new ultrasound examination machine that applies big data to help early detection of breast tumors. Now, the company is working on a new app that helps premature babies in hearing their mothers.

Voices of Life, a new app that is being developed by Samsung, lets a mom record her voice, heartbeat, or lullabies on her phone. The app then “wombifies” (removes high-frequency sounds) the voice before playing it back on a speaker at the baby’s side. The app records a mother’s heartbeat using the heart rate monitor on Samsung’s smartphones.

Premature babies have a higher risk of developing language and attention deficits. The pleasing voice of a mother comforts a premature baby in neonatal care. The app also helps parents connect with their child in those early crucial first weeks even when they’re not present with their child physically.

The company hasn’t released any information about how close they are in the completion of the app or the hospitals who would be using this technology in the future. When this app releases, it could help at least some of those 15 million children who are born prematurely every year.