Incubator is a device that provides warmth and other conditions to help living things grow and develop. Hatcheries use some incubators to hatch chickens, ducks, and other birds from eggs. Hospital incubators were developed from such agricultural incubators. They are used to maintain the lives of newborn or premature babies. Laboratories use other incubators to keep animals, cells, bacteria, or viruses for research. Incubators differ in size and design. But they all share a chief function—to provide a controlled environment.
Hospital incubators
look like cribs with double walls made of transparent materials. This structure sits on a wheeled platform. A stream of warm air circulates between the walls. The air stream insulates the interior and maintains it at a constant temperature. A thermostat adjusts the air temperature to keep the baby’s body temperature between 97.7 °F and 99.5 °F (36.5 °C and 37.5 °C). Most modern incubators have other devices to monitor the baby’s heartbeat and blood oxygen level. Other medical devices can be connected through portals in the incubator wall. Premature babies and ill infants are kept in incubators until they get well, begin to grow normally, and can maintain their own body warmth.
Agricultural incubators
are mainly used for hatching chicks. The incubator is heated to maintain a constant temperature of about 99.5 °F (37.5 °C). Ventilation and humidity are also controlled. Mechanical devices in the incubator turn the eggs several times daily.
