Nano for my baby

Veronica Rigatti’s project is a nursing-bra of a kind not available on the market so far. Not only in terms of shape and functionality, or, in other words, not only because it is meant to be comfortable and to fit in all the right places, but more importantly thanks to the material it will be made of. Veronica Rigatti, in fact, intends to use a fabric to which the specific properties of incorporated nanoparticles are meant to confer special functionalities. We won’t give away the concept: patent pending.

That is the plan, but many questions remain open: Do the coveted properties of the particles involved depend on their being present in nanoscale form? What if they were released from the tissue to get onto the mother’s skin and from there to the newborn child? How can the health safety of the nursing-bra be guaranteed? con- tactpointnano.ch has put Rigatti in touch with doctors and materials scientists providing advice and valuable feedback enabling her to rethink and adapt her product. Another expert was able to assess the chances of her project getting support from Innosuisse. And, last but not least, the contact-point arranged for a company to provide Rigatti with the material for her first prototypes, which have generated considerable interest in various circles.

“There is no doubt: without the support of contactpointnano.ch, I would have had to abandon my project in the first place.”

Veronica Rigatti, start-up entrepreneur in Riva del Garda, Trentino.