Overview
For our senior design capstone, my team is redesigning the obstetric training simulator used by the Rutgers-Newark Midwifery Nursing program. Our goal is an affordable, versatile simulator that lets students train in a wider range of birthing positions and emergency scenarios.
We're interviewing instructors and students now to define the design requirements. Next, we'll design the mother and fetus in CAD, 3D print molds and cast the simulator in silicone.
The simulator we're redesigning
These photos show the midwifery program's current simulator: a pelvis model hung from a wooden stand, a newborn model, a placenta with an umbilical cord, and a separate pad for practicing perineal repair.
This is the setup our new design is meant to improve on.
Defining the requirements
We started by interviewing midwifery instructors and students about how they train now and what they need. The requirements so far cover three areas:
Realistic materials. The mother and fetus need to feel and move like real tissue.
Birthing positions. The simulator has to work in positions beyond lying on the back.
Emergency scenarios. Students need to practice complicated deliveries, not just routine ones.
Next steps
Before building the full-size simulator, we plan to make scaled-down prototypes to test silicone materials and the casting process.
Photos
