Non Nutritive Sucking

Non-nutritive sucking (NNS), the act of sucking without ingesting nutrients, is increasingly studied as a valuable indicator of infant neurodevelopment and health. Current research focuses on developing objective, non-invasive methods for NNS detection, employing computer vision techniques like optical flow and temporal convolutional networks to analyze video footage from baby monitors. These advancements aim to replace subjective manual assessments and expensive pressure transducers, improving the accessibility and reliability of NNS monitoring in clinical settings. The resulting data could significantly enhance early detection of developmental delays and contribute to a better understanding of infant health.