Researchers at the Rosie Maternity Hospital in Cambridge are using LUMO in groundbreaking research that could speed up diagnosis and care for children with conditions such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy and learning difficulties.

Explaining how the cap works, Dr Faure says: "The light sensors monitor changes in oxygen around the surface of the brain - a technique known as high-density diffuse optical tomography - and the functional ultrasound allows us to image the small blood vessels deep in the brain."

But the device is also different because it is portable, so it can monitor babies more regularly, and from the comfort of their cot.

Consultant neurosurgeon Dr Alexis Joannides believes it could have several advantages over the traditional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CUS (cranial ultrasound) scans.