Lifelike robot helps train doctors in delivering babies
January 3, 2008 6:09 PM   Subscribe

 
For a second I thought you were going to link to the video for Doc Gyneco's Caramel (Youtube, QT). Fortunately, this isn't nearly as disturbing.
posted by pmdboi at 6:25 PM on January 3, 2008


But train doctors so rarely deliver babies. Maybe if it's caught in a snowbank during a blizzard.
posted by DU at 6:27 PM on January 3, 2008


(sorry, Youtube)
posted by pmdboi at 6:30 PM on January 3, 2008


Vaguely creepy. The Pediatric HAL looks like a victim of progeria.

And then there's the Testicular Self-Examination Model. Now that's how you enliven your parties, screw Twister...
posted by Iosephus at 6:31 PM on January 3, 2008


DU, please don't derail this post, thanks.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:35 PM on January 3, 2008 [2 favorites]


I think they really missed a huge opportunity on the face. Although the sort of vague smile and hint of a grimace of pain is truly strange, it just could've been so much more disturbing.
posted by nevercalm at 6:41 PM on January 3, 2008


Oh look, something else that further solidifies the fact that I'm never having children. *gags*
posted by MaryDellamorte at 6:50 PM on January 3, 2008 [1 favorite]


Needs more blood.
posted by LittleMissCranky at 6:51 PM on January 3, 2008


Does she tell you to shut the fuck up after you've been coaching her breathing for a couple of hours?
posted by tommasz at 6:58 PM on January 3, 2008 [1 favorite]


Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Brandon Blatcher, you have been on a roll with some great posts lately - thanks.
posted by madamjujujive at 7:03 PM on January 3, 2008 [1 favorite]


If they could somehow combine this technology with real dolls, well, you could have one hell of a prank.
posted by Citizen Premier at 7:09 PM on January 3, 2008 [5 favorites]


Brandon Blatcher: Come on. DU's comment was tame by any standard. It was downright quaint by MeFi standards.

For god's sake, fandango_matt's post was the first comment, and much more of a potential derail, considering the subject and direct linkage.

Loosen up.

Or is there some sort of petty feud between you two I'm not aware of?
posted by Ynoxas at 7:33 PM on January 3, 2008


Ynoxas - look at those two comments again.
posted by pinky at 7:37 PM on January 3, 2008


Ynoxas: I have a feeling that Brandon's response was a play with DU's version of "train." Of course, I could be seriously wrong, but I see no reason for you to be so steamed, either way.
posted by billyliberty at 7:38 PM on January 3, 2008


It's a lot to choo-choo on.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:50 PM on January 3, 2008 [1 favorite]


Ha ha. Train. Derail.
posted by miss lynnster at 7:52 PM on January 3, 2008 [1 favorite]


Speaking of loosening up....
posted by nevercalm at 7:54 PM on January 3, 2008


Seconding madamjujujive's enthusiasm for your recent posts Brandon.

And seconding Brandon's comment to DU, it isn't fun when the first handful of comments squelch conversation or ridicule the grammar of the post, I've experienced that by DU and did not appreciate it, especially when there was no further comment, except the ridiculing the grammar. It's like somebody comes in the thread to dump something petty and leave. It's a lousy feeling when one has put a post together.

That said I think robots like this would have been amazing to experience in school. Wanting to experience anatomy in greater detail has made The Bodies exhibit a public phenomenon.

The Gaumard Scientific Company, which makes the Noelle model, has made the Susie Simon model for 40 years.
posted by nickyskye at 8:24 PM on January 3, 2008


Sorry, but this is absolutely screaming for it:

Metafilter: The first handful of comments squelch conversation or ridicule the grammar of the post.
posted by nevercalm at 8:37 PM on January 3, 2008


Hmm. It looks much too dry. If I recall correctly, the only thing one needs to know about delivering babies is how to avoid getting drenched in amniotic fluid. The rest just happens by itself, for the most part.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:39 PM on January 3, 2008


I thought this was going to be a re-post of the Mother of Multitudes (as seen earlier, briefly).
posted by mumkin at 8:51 PM on January 3, 2008


These articles are from 2006, but I've certainly never heard about it before. I wonder what other super secret robots are out there that I don't know about...

That said, the one flaw I see here is that real women don't usually have three vuvlas (vulvae?) for post-partum suturing. At least, I hope not. I only have the one and I would hate to think I'd been gypped.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 8:52 PM on January 3, 2008


Ynoxas - look at those two comments again.
posted by pinky at 9:37 PM on January 3 [+] [!]

Ynoxas: I have a feeling that Brandon's response was a play with DU's version of "train." Of course, I could be seriously wrong, but I see no reason for you to be so steamed, either way.
posted by billyliberty at 9:38 PM on January 3 [+] [!]


*smacks forehead*

Mea culpa. Also +1 cool point to billyliberty. I should pick a more deserving target to rail against. I feel ashamed having to engineer a response.
posted by Ynoxas at 8:56 PM on January 3, 2008


If I recall correctly, the only thing one needs to know about delivering babies is how to avoid getting drenched in amniotic fluid.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:39 PM on January 3 [+] [!]


Nope. According to my instructors, the only thing one needs to know about delivering babies is: catch the damn baby, and don't drop it. And also, hopefully you've got the mother in the back of the ambulance by the time this becomes an issue. :)
posted by blaneyphoto at 8:57 PM on January 3, 2008 [2 favorites]


The weird thing is, her vagina is modeled on that of a woman who drowned in the Seine 140 years ago.
posted by dhartung at 9:08 PM on January 3, 2008 [11 favorites]




I notice that Noelle's arms are solid and don't appear to bend at the elbow. While I'm sure she could be jury rigged to sit, it's obviously not meant to teach anything except a supine birth position. While I was perfectly content to deliver mostly on my back, I still propped on my elbows, and I know a lot of women have been much more comfortable delivering in a bath, or in a sitting or squatting position. It's kind of sad to see a $20,000 training robot that falls down on such a simple detail.
posted by headspace at 10:19 PM on January 3, 2008 [2 favorites]


you have been on a roll with some great posts lately - thanks.

Thank nickyskye, who's consistently been putting out interesting posts and has inspired me to do the same.

Ynoxas,
Sorry, just trying to keep everything on track.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:32 PM on January 3, 2008


We used to joke about molesting the Anne doll in our 4th grade CPR class, just goes to show some people took it too far.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 11:32 PM on January 3, 2008


headspace: "I notice that Noelle's arms are solid and don't appear to bend at the elbow. While I'm sure she could be jury rigged to sit, it's obviously not meant to teach anything except a supine birth position."

Now why in hell would OB/GYNs be trained with a device that makes biophysiological sense when it comes to optimal positions for birth? They've been getting this (amongst many other things) wrong since they took over the realm of birth and kicked learned women out of it, it's not going to change.
posted by Dreama at 5:10 AM on January 4, 2008 [2 favorites]


Ain't that true, Dreama. I've always been confused as to why most women are made to birth flat on their backs when that seems to be the worst position ever for that.
posted by agregoli at 8:01 AM on January 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


Call me when they've designed robots that will give birth to my babies for me. Then we're talking.
posted by Zinger at 11:10 AM on January 4, 2008


I've always been confused as to why most women are made to birth flat on their backs when that seems to be the worst position ever for that.

What, and make a doctor bend over? Pshaw! Bite your tongue!
posted by headspace at 1:42 PM on January 4, 2008


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