Definitely more elegant than the birth simulator designed at Johns Hopkins University, Noelle is a lifelike, pregnant robot used as a training tool in medical schools and hospital maternity wards across the USA.
Noelle, from Gaumard Scientific, can be programmed for a variety of complications and for cervix dilation. She can labor for hours and produce a breach baby or unexpectedly give birth in a matter of minutes.
She ultimately delivers a plastic doll that can change colors, from a healthy pink glow to the deadly blue of oxygen deficiency. The baby mannequin is wired to flash vital signs when hooked up to monitors. The computerized mannequins emit realistic pulse rates and can urinate and breathe. “If she is bleeding, there will be ample blood in evidence everywhere,” said Dr. Paul Preston.
With a keystroke, all sorts of complications can be inflicted wirelessly, overriding any preprogrammed instructions.
Related: haptic cow simulator.
Via CNN and USA Today.