Automatic childbirth procedures implanted on the BirthSIM simulator

This paper presents some new automatic procedures for the BirthSIM childbirth simulator. BirthSIM is able to simulate the uterine contractions and the mother's voluntary efforts, this enables the operator to synchronize these two types of efforts during a normal childbirth, or to synchronize these two efforts with the operator's tractive instrumental effort during childbirth using obstetric instruments. One originality of the BirthSIM simulator is to allow the medical team to acquire a better understanding of the application of these two synchronization concepts. With the aim of implanting various childbirth procedures, four control algorithms and switching algorithms are used to control successively: force, position, force-velocity or force-position. These control algorithms are important to produce the movement of the head, the mother's natural contractions and the mother's pushing action. Different childbirth cases are simulated using an electropneumatic system. The validity of the proposed control method for simulating childbirth modes has been evaluated by an expert obstetrician