Ryn Gargulinski

Creativity on Fire

umc

Pregnant robots give birth at UMC

Two robots of pregnant women, who give birth to robot infants, recently checked in to University Medical Center.

While it would make even bigger headlines if the two robots were part of an alien invasion, they are instead teaching tools purchased with a $40,000 grant.

UA medical student Garrett Pacheco delivers robot Noelle's robot Baby Hal/submitted photo
UA medical student Garrett Pacheco delivers robot Noelle's robot Baby Hal/submitted photo

The mom robots are named “Noelle” and they give birth to “Baby Hal.” Unfortunately, it seems the two blond robots are identical, which will hopefully not lead to any baby mix-ups, but they can be programmed to do different things.

Here’s more from the UMC news release:

Noelle can be programmed to simulate a long or short labor. A motor pushes a lifelike plastic baby out of the birth canal and even expels an ersatz placenta. She can simulate a variety of childbirth complications, from a breech delivery to hemorrhage to the baby being born with the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck.

Noelle’s pulse and respiration rises and falls, she urinates and bleeds, and students can practice inserting an IV, intubating her airway, resuscitating her though CPR or delivering her baby with forceps or a vacuum.

Noelle even talks. “It’s really hurting now!” and “The baby is coming!” are among dozens of her pre-programmed vocalizations. Rynnote: It doesn’t say if she screams, swears or bites through metal objects in pain.

The lifelike newborn robot can be programmed to change colors from a healthy pink to the dusky blue of oxygen deficiency, and to simulate seizures, allowing doctors and nurses to practice their resuscitation skills.

The automaton recently made her debut to a group of third-year students from the UA College of Medicine in UMC’s Labor and Delivery Unit

Wow. Kind of creepy but very snappy.

Keeping this robot concept in mind, we should get extra Baby Hals to pass out to pregnant mothers so they learn to not shake, slap or forget about infants in their cribs for 18-hour stretches.

We should also add some robot dogs, cats, hamsters and birds so folks can learn how to properly take care of pets.

And where’s that Rosie Robot who is supposed to come clean my house?

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What do you think?

Is this an awesome concept or a waste of money?

Would a robot help you learn things you need to know?

Will robots really take over the world, as we’ve all been promised?

Guy gets 100th pair of new lungs at UMC

Well, it was not this particular man’s 100th pair of lungs, but the 100th double lung transplant performed at University Medical Center.

On the waiting list since January, 64-year-old William M. Moncrieff, of Surprise, is recovering well after his May 28, six-hour operation, according to a UMC news release:

Moncrieff/UMC photo
Photo courtesy UMC

Moncrieff suffered years of asthma, emphysema and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). He had been hospitalized twice in Phoenix in the past several years after minor respiratory problems turned serious.

“I knew I needed a transplant when my doctors told me I was one cold away from death,” he said. “I was living on borrowed time.”

The release also states the lungs were received “from a deceased organ donor.” We sure hope. After all, if the donor were not deceased prior to having his or her lungs removed, the person surely would be afterwards.

Anyway, kudos to UMC and the docs who perform such miraculous, life-saving surgeries. In addition to the double lung transplants, the hospital has performed 55 heart-lung transplants and 51 single-lung transplants. The first double lung transplant was done in 1993 and lasted 10 years.

Organ transplants are a great thing, giving the dead the opportunity to help the living.

We should expand it, however, to include other organs and body parts that may not yet be on the list, such as a set of killer biceps, six-pack abs and awesome calf muscles.

Some folks could also use a transplant of the brain.

Is your organ donor box checked on your driver’s license?
Do you think if you received an eye transplant you would see ghostly visions of murder like in that horror movie?