Robot that Gives Birth Helps Medics Learn
New Scientist (05/13/08) Barras, Colin

Researchers at the Institut National des Sciences Appliquees in Lyon, France, have improved a robot capable of simulating the birth of a child by adding a pneumatic arm that mimics the movements of childbirth. BirthSIM provides a life-size model of a mother's pelvis, and the baby's head is now hidden inside mounted on the pneumatic arm. The childbirth simulator was created to serve as a safe testbed that junior obstetricians could use to improve their forceps skills. Electromagnetic sensors track the motion of the forceps and the baby's head in 3D, and the data is used to project a 3D model onto a screen, which enables trainees to see what is happening inside the pelvis. Patrick Mohide, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at McMaster University believes further improvements are needed. "The ideal simulator would also measure the forces, pressures and directions of traction from using the forceps, and would simulate the effects on the fetus," he says. "That might lead to the development of more standardized techniques and provide an objective approach to measuring and maintaining skills, just as aircraft simulators do."
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