Toyoda Gosei, along with university-launched venture company EBM, has introduced the SupeR BEAT surgical training simulator.
SupeR BEAT simulator holds capacity to reproduce the beating of the heart with high accuracy using e-Rubber, an advanced material that moves with electricity.
Since November 2017, Toyoda Gosei and EBM have been working to develop a practical simulator, which can assist surgeons to better improve their skills.
According to Toyoda Gosei, training using simulators has become compulsory in specialties such as cardiovascular surgery, where doctors must complete a fixed amount of training.
A special programme installed in the simulator facilitates more than a dozen heartbeat patterns
The surgical training simulator will reproduce the beating of the heart during surgeries through taking the support of e-Rubber, which expands and contracts quickly in response to electricity switching on and off.
A special programme installed in the simulator allows more than a dozen heartbeat patterns, which can be united to mimic varying states such as the complex heartbeat patterns due to arrhythmia or the rapid heartbeat of infants.
A stressful surgical environment near to that of actual coronary artery bypass surgery can also reproduced, said the company.
Both firms will continue to work together in the medical engineering segment for the advancement of medicine.
EBM is engaged in training simulator development and system creation for both domestic Japanese and overseas markets, primarily in the field of cardiac surgery.
Its major products are used in around 70% of cardiovascular surgery hospitals in Japan. They are also available in the US, Europe, and Asian countries.
Centered on the Fukushima Institute of Surgical Training (FIST), the EBM is cooperating closely with doctors from the aspects of both equipment and practices.
Established in 1949, Toyoda Gosei is a specialty producer of rubber and plastic automotive parts. The company manages around 100 plants and offices in 18 countries and regions.
