BARCELONA, Spain, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- A renowned Spanish gynecology group has invented a speaker that transmits music to an unborn fetus through the mother's vagina.
Known as Babypod, the intravaginal speaker developed by Spanish-based Instituto Marqués introduces a new way to provide unborn babies with musical stimulation and encourage fetal development.
"Music stimulates major brain structures in human beings, it improves their neurological development. Therefore, pediatricians recommend that children grow up in environments with many stimuli, including music," the Babypod website reads.
Research from the Instituto Marqués found that layers of soft tissue in the mother's abdomen can distort outside sounds such as music played through headphones placed on the mother's belly.
"To carry out the scientific study, music was played over the mother's abdomen through a headset," the product's website states. "The volume of the music for this test was set at 98.6 decibels, a rather high intensity, equivalent to the sound of a lawn mower. However, babies showed no reaction to the music."
A subsequent test playing music from Babypod at an intensity of 54 decibels saw a increased reactions from the babies.
The technology was also used to produce a "concert for future babies" featuring a live performance by singer Soraya Arlena.
