Simroid robot lets dental students know what hurts

We've already seen medical students operate on robots that bleed, yap and flat-line, but it's about time dental students underwent the same kind of scrutiny, don'tcha think? If things go as planned, future dentists in Japan could soon be practicing on Simroid, a humanoid that resembles a young woman and can talk back when students hit a nerve. Reportedly, the bot can exclaim "it hurts" and move her eyes / hands whenever discomfort is felt, but best of all, engineers included a "breast sensor" to determine if that area has been touched inappropriately during training. Nothing wrong with ensuring the ethical treatment of robots, we suppose.

[Via Physorg]

[Jason @ Nov 28th 2007 1:50PM]

does she also try to slap you after copping a feel like the one in the video from a few weeks back?

[jessy @ Nov 29th 2007 3:49AM]

does it also let us know if it spits or swallows?

[Jason @ Nov 28th 2007 1:51PM]

oh, and 'Simroid' has to be the worst name ever...

[iii @ Nov 28th 2007 1:57PM]

ahhhh ahhhhhh ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ahh ahhhhhhhhh ahhh ahhhhhhhhhhh ahhh
translation: I do not like how you poke my tooth nerve, please stop.

[js @ Nov 28th 2007 1:59PM]

bjrobot ftw

[Ken @ Nov 28th 2007 2:01PM]

It's eerie how the eyes track the student... and the look of abject terror in its eyes. It's so lifelike! This is *exactly* why I went into dentistry!

[Kiwi616 @ Nov 28th 2007 2:08PM]

Kind of reminds me of the lady from the movie "The Grudge" and I don't mean Sarah. Maybe they'll have a child version that looks like the kid also :)

[NG @ Nov 28th 2007 2:12PM]

The Japs are starting to make some scary gadgets now.. whats next?

[farfisa @ Nov 28th 2007 2:13PM]

"Simroid" sounds like it's more suited for proctology.

[Bob The Mexican @ Nov 28th 2007 3:28PM]

The male version will be called "Himroid".

I'm here all week, folks!

[Wuju @ Nov 28th 2007 9:11PM]

@Bob- Doh!

[DWells55 @ Nov 28th 2007 2:25PM]

Wow, that thing is legitimately creepy. At first glance, I was thinking "wow, why is she so pale at a dentist's appointment" and then I realized it was a robot. Creepy.

[onedollarbill @ Nov 28th 2007 3:15PM]

Agreed. I came here to post the same thing. That robot is really creepy looking.

[Tristan @ Nov 28th 2007 4:33PM]

I love how we all think that it looks creepy becuase it actually looks real. As in it looks like us.

[MikeG @ Nov 28th 2007 7:36PM]

@ Tristan

Granted it looks like us, but it looks dead.
Would you not find some dead asian woman with her mouth gawping open in a dentist's surgery as a student 'operates' on it creepy?

[LordFarkward @ Nov 28th 2007 9:11PM]

Tristan, i believe you'll find this damn interesting

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=853

[oshean @ Nov 28th 2007 2:48PM]

Uncanny valley in effect!

[dataminer49er @ Nov 28th 2007 2:56PM]

At least our robotic overlords will have good dental hygene.

Praise Bender!

[Freerefill @ Nov 28th 2007 3:15PM]

I for one welcome our new pain-exclaiming overlords.

Wait, what?



You do realize that the first male Japanese teenager to operate on one of those is gonna find out exactly where to drill in order to turn off the "breast" sensor.

[CubeGuy @ Nov 28th 2007 4:00PM]

The off switch?

[Scott @ Nov 28th 2007 4:10PM]

As a dental student (no, really!) I can say that this is a stupid idea and will not help you learn at all. You don't need it to tell you it 'hurts' when you hit a nerve or are near- if you're that close to a nerve you would have used anaesthetic and if you haven't then it should have been because the patient requested you not to (for whatever reason).

We already have training heads to learn on and for the most part they're realistic enough to teach you enough so that you can treat real patient's. However, every patient is different, they all have different pain thresholds etc and the only way to really learn is through experience.

This is just an unnecessary over-complication of what is already out there doing a good job already.

[gt2378b @ Nov 28th 2007 4:23PM]

Why give poor people dental care and give dental students real clinical experience when you can build a robot?

Duh!

[Matthew Hilario @ Nov 28th 2007 4:51PM]

i agree, the human guinea pig responds alot faster.

[Dave @ Nov 28th 2007 5:37PM]

Scott, you assume that anesthetic is used in every country. I can report from personal experience in the Netherlands that it's not unless asked for. It was not a pleasant experience.

[blackfeather @ Nov 28th 2007 4:19PM]

I had this when I was a kid. When you try to pull the funny bone out, it beeps and lights up. I also had trouble with the butterfly in it's tummy.

[Matthew Hilario @ Nov 28th 2007 4:48PM]

water in the knee did it for me.

[gt2378b @ Nov 28th 2007 4:21PM]

"Alright Dr. Tanaka, you've done quite well so far! Now remember, we have turned on your patient's 'bite' for this last test! Watch out!"

[Jason @ Nov 28th 2007 4:37PM]

Isn't that a "Real Doll" for dental students? Flip her over for proctologists and OB-GYN students (recreational or professional).

[Stallone @ Nov 28th 2007 4:48PM]

It sure will be used alot practically with a mouth like that, not for dental care though

[Matthew Hilario @ Nov 28th 2007 4:49PM]

does it drool?

[Matthew Hilario @ Nov 28th 2007 4:54PM]

your robot will have lockjaw in 2 weeks from the lube rusting everything..

[Matthew Hilario @ Nov 28th 2007 4:55PM]

this was meant for js @ Nov 28th 2007 1:59PM.

[Scott @ Nov 28th 2007 5:59PM]

Fair comment Dave, I did assume that and can only speak from my own experiences in my country (the UK). Still, if you're drilling a tooth *without* anaesthetic then it's going to hurt a LOT whether or not you're close to the nerve, and if it doesn't hurt then that usually means it needs treatment involving the removal of the nerve. So I still think my point stands, a robot telling you 'it hurt' when you're close to the nerve isn't going to help educate you.

[Db @ Nov 28th 2007 7:32PM]

Next DS Touch Dentisty!

[tiuk @ Nov 28th 2007 7:43PM]

Yeah, file this one under "fucking creepy".

[John @ Nov 28th 2007 10:09PM]

Wonder who thought up this brilliant idea.

[Oracle @ Nov 29th 2007 12:17AM]

Creepy Japanese... I'm sure they all start from sex toy ideas

[Wilder.K.Wight @ Nov 29th 2007 12:54AM]

This is the second breast-touch-sensing robot I've seen this month!

!!!!

[spaceb @ Nov 29th 2007 1:00AM]

So is she inflatable or what?

[Generic @ Nov 29th 2007 5:11AM]

Oh this just in time for christmas and I know who to send it to. My christmas card will read:

Dear Dentist,
My apologies for all the complaining during those lengthy oral excavations. As a sign of gratitude I send you this humanoid in peace to give you an unbiased opinion of your drilling skills and enamel eradication.
Merry Christmas,
Generic.

P.S. use it before christmas and video your performance or else the ghost of christmas past will visit you before new year.

[locke6854 @ Nov 29th 2007 6:59AM]

Ok, taking into account Japanese culture, i'm not so sure engadget was joking about the breast sensor...? Funny if fake, creepy if true.

[aboriginal @ Nov 29th 2007 12:11PM]

Didn't I just see this sold on an adult website somewhere? 1001 uses.