lifelike! Japan develops 3D printed medical training robot “Mikoto”

AsiaIndustrial NetNews: Tmsuk R&D Inc., a medical venture capital firm in Tottori Prefecture, Japan. In cooperation with Tottori University Hospital,3D printingmedical simulation of the futureRobot: Mikoto.

Mikoto means “life” in Japanese. This lifelike medical simulation Robot is designed to provide a more realistic training simulation experience for young doctors, medical students and emergency care workers.

Robots That Feel “Pain”

Equipped with a variety of sensors, the Mikoto Robot is designed to give medical staff and medical students a more realistic understanding of how patients are feeling. If the robot is overstressed or choked, the robot will show pain. At the end of the simulation, the 3D printing robot also scores a score for the simulation based on the data obtained through the sensors and the simulated training.

Mikoto is primarily designed for three medical procedures: endotracheal intubation, gastrointestinal endoscopy, and sputum suction.

3D printed guts

At first glance, it’s easy to mistake the robot for a real boy, and all its functions are very lifelike. Because the robot’s internal organs, including the tongue, esophagus, and trachea, were 3D-printed by researchers by converting digital images of patients’ organs into 3D-printed models.

Many medical training devices in use today are much stiffer than real patients, and the advent of the Mikoto robot marks a major advance in medical simulation equipment.

Dr. Toshiya Nakano, a neurologist at Tottori Medical College, said: “Young doctors used to observe and learn from the hands-on process of experienced doctors and then perform operations on actual patients. This type of training no longer exists. Ensuring patient safety is a top priority.

With the rapid development of medical technology, the skills that medical staff need to learn are also increasingly diversified, and the medical industry is gradually turning to the use of 3D printing models to train surgeons or provide training in related simulated medical procedures.