Wireless Maternal Fetal Simulator with Virtual Instruments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current patient care education systems lack realism, are often too expensive, and are not portable due to bulky components and wired connections, failing to simulate the complexities of real patient care scenarios, especially in child birthing, where cervical dilation and fetal movement are not adequately represented.
Innovation Solution
An interactive education system featuring a maternal and fetal simulator that is self-contained and wireless, allowing for realistic simulation of patient care scenarios without external connections, with virtual instruments that provide tactile and auditory feedback, and a neonatal simulator that can simulate respiratory and circulatory patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If real medical instruments are used for patient care education, then the educational realism and hands-on experience are improved, but the cost becomes prohibitively expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of real medical instruments that replicate their appearance, texture, and functional characteristics through computer graphics and haptic feedback mechanisms. These virtual instruments provide tactile resistance and visual realism without the high cost of actual medical equipment, allowing students to practice procedures in a cost-effective manner while maintaining educational fidelity.
2Reliability
If traditional patient simulators are used, then patient care training is provided, but the systems are too bulky and require wired connections preventing easy transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical and wired connection systems of traditional simulators with wireless communication technologies. The virtual patient simulator uses wireless data transmission to communicate with instructional computers and other training devices, eliminating the need for physical cables and bulky power supplies. This substitution maintains full training functionality while enabling easy transportation and flexible deployment in various educational settings.
3Ease of operation
If passive patient simulators are used, then basic patient care procedures can be practiced, but the lack of verisimilitude undermines appreciation for the difficulties of real patient care
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multi-sensory feedback mechanisms including haptic feedback that provides tactile resistance when students interact with virtual patients, auditory feedback that simulates real patient sounds and responses, and visual feedback that displays physiological parameters and procedural outcomes. This feedback loop creates a realistic representation of patient care challenges, allowing students to experience the difficulties and uncertainties of real clinical situations while practicing essential procedures.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a comprehensive variety of medical instruments is provided, then the educational experience becomes more comprehensive, but the cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal virtual instrument platform that can simulate multiple different medical instruments and procedures through software configurations rather than requiring separate physical devices for each instrument. The virtual patient simulator can be programmed to represent various patient conditions, anatomical structures, and procedural scenarios, allowing a single system to provide comprehensive educational coverage across multiple medical disciplines and skill levels without proportionally increasing hardware complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1a~3b
Figure 2
Figure 3a
AI summary
Patient simulators, methods, and systems for teaching patient care are provided. The patient simulators and systems include one or more a patient bodies comprising one or more simulated body portions. A respiratory system is positioned within the patient body. The respiratory system includes a pair of lungs and is configured to simulate a respiratory pattern of a patient. A circulatory system is also positioned within the patient body. The circulatory system is configured to simulate at least one circulatory parameter of the patient. The system also includes a control system in communication with the patient simulator. The control system includes a respiratory physiological model for controlling the simulated respiratory pattern of the respiratory system and a circulatory physiological model for controlling the at least one circulatory parameter of the circulatory system. The respiratory physiological model is configured to adjust the simulated respiratory pattern of the respiratory system at least partially based on a treatment administered to the patient simulator by a user. The patient simulator is operable without physical connection to an external device. In some instances, the systems include both a maternal simulator and a fetal simulator, wherein the physiological conditions of the maternal and fetal simulators are linked to one another.