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Wincing, Drooling Japanese Robot Trains Dentists, Without the Bad Breath

by Ben Deitz on March 29, 2010 at 03:20 PM

Dental students need fear no longer torturing real patients. Robotics company tmsuk, in conjunction with several Japanese universities, has designed a robot for use in training those dentists-to-be, continuing a long-standing Japanese love affair with robotics.

The robot, named "Hanako," is programmed to act and react like a real patient. She performs random actions such as sneezing and emitting saliva, while touch sensors in her mouth determine when the doctor has done something painful, causing her to wince or even gag. "Hanako" is also programmed to answer doctor's questions, testing potential dentists' abilities to verbally assess symptoms and put patients at ease with bedside banter. "Hanako" is not only a teaching tool, but also the most realistic game of 'Operation' ever created (although her creepy, unblinking stare probably won't engender much sympathy from students).

Hopefully, the advent of robotic teaching tools does not become too widespread, though; we still rely on cheap haircuts at the local barber college. [From: Geekologie, via: DVICE]

Tags: dentist, education, hanako, health, japan, medicine, OnlyInJapan, robot, robots, science, top

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