It's a robot! And she's pregnant.

While I appreciate that the only way for med students to learn is by seeing real live people, I've always felt sorry for people who inadvertantly end up as teaching cases. Even more so if they are in the rather undignified position of having a baby. I don't quite belive my mum when she says that with your first child you're understandably a bit modest and shy when the docs ask if some students can sit in, but by the second child you're like sure, the more the merrier!

So I for one am grateful that Noelle is on hand to keep the students busy. No, she's not a sexy nurse, she's a lifelike, pregnant robot. Sure, she's not cheap at $20,000, but even $20k is pocket change compared to the price of the life of a pregnant woman and/or her baby. But it's not like she just lies there, she can do all sorts of lifelike stuff too...

"She can be programmed for a variety of complications and for cervix dilation. She can labor for hours and produce a breach baby or unexpectedly give birth in a matter of minutes. She ultimately delivers a plastic doll that can change colors, from a healthy pink glow to the deadly blue of oxygen deficiency. The baby mannequin is wired to flash vital signs when hooked up to monitors."

Of course nobody is saying that med students aren't going to be able to get their hands on real live patients anymore. But anything that helps docs to figure out how to make childbirth less unpredictable and dangerous can only be a good thing. Via Yahoo! News.

PHOTO FROM AP.