• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • First Impressions - The Game
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Medical students made to help a robot 'give birth' as part of their training

Home> News> Technology

Published 13:57 1 May 2024 GMT+1

Medical students made to help a robot 'give birth' as part of their training

The robot is used as an educational tool to familiarise students with the birthing process

Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair

A robot is used by medical students to allow them to practice being in the delivery room when a patient's special day rolls around.

In what may be a weird and uneasy sight for others, technology has progressed enough for students in medicine to practice procedures on them.

It may not be new information to you, but to see it being carried out in real-time might look a bit odd.

Advert

You can see what it looks like here:

The use of technology to help the next generation of doctors is not new either, as the video in question is over 15-years-old, and shows the introduction of the 'pregnant' robot into the students' learning.

In the four minute video, that was originally broadcast as a news story on Discovery, the students can be seen communicating with the robot, who was given the name 'Noelle', as if it were a real person.

The robot in the video is being used at John Hopkins University, with students being closely watched by the professionals during the process.

Advert

All possible details are added to the $20,000 (£16,000) robot, such as an umbilical cord, hooking the robot up to a fetal monitor and an IV, checking her blood levels and even wrapping the umbilical cord from around the baby's neck - which is a possibility.

The students can be seen delivering the robot baby in the manner that they would be expected to with a real child. (YouTube/Discovery)
The students can be seen delivering the robot baby in the manner that they would be expected to with a real child. (YouTube/Discovery)

Dr. Scott Purinton, a resident OBGYN at John Hopkins Hospital, said that the robot is a 'great aid for students', saying that he 'wished that he would have had earlier in his training'.

He says that not having a practice run means that you aren't familiar with the manoeuvres, and also praised the fact that the sizes of everything - down to the positioning on the table - was incredibly accurate.

Susan Will, an OB Patient Surgery Nurse, stated: "It's better to learn and make mistakes on a robot instead of a real person."

Advert

Explaining that she can be used for education purposes, she continued: "Most importantly, we can use her as a mechanism to study the team as they work together during a birth process, and especially during a high-risk situation."

David Isaza is an engineer that was behind the creation of Noelle, and likened familiarising yourself to the birthing process to learning a new language.

The robot is complex and has extras to prepare students for any mishaps that may happen in a real birthing situation. (YouTube/Discovery)
The robot is complex and has extras to prepare students for any mishaps that may happen in a real birthing situation. (YouTube/Discovery)

"You have to learn, pretty much a new language," he explained.

"Because the terminology is very specific for OBGYN... it's a learning curve that keeps going up and up and up."

Advert

The robot aims to help students deal with complications, of which 875,000 US women went through with pregnancies on average at the time.

It goes without saying that technology has progressed since 2009 though, and there are now birthing robots that have a lot more features, such as Victoria, who is based in the Royal Hospital for Women’s Simulated and Integrative Learning centre in Randwick, Australia, and also comes from the same company that created Noelle, Gaumard Scientific.

Victoria can have seizures during birth, her pulse can be tracked, her chest raises as she breaths and she can even be offered paracetamol. She can also speak to the trainees too.

The American-made robot can even bleed and urinate, though she costs a hefty $180,000 (£144,000), which the clinic say they've gotten their 'money's worth'.

Featured Image Credit: YouTube / Discovery

Topics: Education, Health, News, Students, Technology

Joshua Nair
Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair is a journalist at LADbible. Born in Malaysia and raised in Dubai, he has always been interested in writing about a range of subjects, from sports to trending pop culture news. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a BA in Media, Journalism and Publishing, he got a job freelance writing for SPORTbible while working in marketing before landing a full-time role at LADbible. Unfortunately, he's unhealthily obsessed with Manchester United, which takes its toll on his mental and physical health. Daily.

X

@joshnair10

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
5 hours ago
  • 4 hours ago

    Mysterious giant structures have been discovered beneath the surface of Mars

    Researchers think it could point towards a volcano

    News
  • 4 hours ago

    Sister of woman who murdered their parents and lived with mummified bodies for years speaks out on horrific crimes

    Virginia McCullough received a life sentence last October after murdering her parents

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    Mum left hours away from 'losing her life' has foot amputated after spotting an ingrown nail

    She said she got ingrown toenails about once a week

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    Donald Trump issues scathing response to Bruce Springsteen after singer slammed 'treasonous administration'

    Donald Trump hasn't taken the comments well...

    News
  • New NHS AI could help predict what diseases you will get but it has seen 57 million people's medical history
  • Woman went blind after doing 13 cartwheels in a row in shocking medical case
  • Experts explain why your poo is green and when you should seek medical help
  • Scientists make massive breakthrough with method that could help you unlock a 'new state of consciousness'