Infant Cry Detection and Pain Scale Assessment: A Pilot Study

A biological alarm system that connects mother and new born is referred as infant cry. Infant cry is a first means of communication through which mother understands the level of distress/ needs. Infant cry can be considered a multimodal behavior which involves limb movements, facial expressions which changes over time to identify the needs of an infant. The cry of the baby cannot be predicted accurately and it is hard to identify for what it cries for. The infant’s cry is mainly a vocal signal which is a way of communication that aims to get attention of the listener to a physical state like hunger, pain, discomfort, fear, illness, wet diaper etc., .Pain is one of the most common symptoms experienced world over. Pain is an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons. The discomfort signals actual or potential injury to the body. This pilot study gives an insight on the current state of works in infant cry analysis and pain scale assessment and also concludes with thoughts about the future directions for better representation and interpretation of infant cry signals. Infant Cry Detection and Pain Scale Assessment: A Pilot Study