由于韩国人口出生率下滑到历史新低，该国医学院的学生们只能用机器人产妇来练习接生技术。
　　
　　SEOUL (Reuters Life!) - With South Korea's birth rate at its lowest ever, medical students are resorting to robots to practice bringing babies into the world.
　　
　　据路透社1月5日报道，位于首尔的韩国庆熙大学医学中心是该国首家使用机器人产妇的机构。这个机器人产妇名叫诺艾尔，她和真人一样大小，她的“生产”能帮助学生们了解真实的接生过程。
　　
　　Kyunghee University Medical Centre in Seoul is the first institution in South Korea to use Noelle, a life-sized robot, and her "newborn" to give obstetric students experience.
　　
　　庆熙大学教授Jung Eui介绍说：“通过这种可以发声的产妇机器人，我们不但能够应对普通的生产，还可以处理许多难产情况。产妇机器人可以让学生在接近真实的情况下练习接生。”学生们总是在诺艾尔“临盆”时将她团团围住，他们轮流监控她的身体反应并轮流将“小宝宝”从她的体内抽出来。
　　
　　"With this simulator training tool, we can conduct not only normal deliveries, but also complicated deliveries such as breech births, Caesarean deliveries," Professor Jung Eui told Reuters Television. "Students can practice in a very realistic situation with this mannequin."

　　
　　诺艾尔的“小宝宝”也是一个机器人，它的手上和脸颊都安装了显示它健康状况的电灯，如亮起蓝灯表示它有健康问题，亮起粉色灯意味着一切正常。
　　
　　Students regularly crowd around Noelle as she gives "birth." They take turns at monitoring her vital signs and at pulling the "baby" out of her body.
　　
　　学生们表示，用诺艾尔练习接生比坐在教室里抄笔记要更加实用。一名学生表示：“我认为在我接待第一个病人前，用仿真机器人来练习比研究课本和听讲座更有帮助。”
　　
　　The newborn, also a robot, is equipped with lights on its hands and cheeks to indicate its health -- blue lights mean problems while pink lights signal all is ok.
　　
　　Students say using Noelle is more useful than sitting in a classroom and taking notes.
　　
　　"I think it's more helpful to have delivery training on a life-like mannequin than studying with books or lectures before treating my first live patient," said student Woon Jin-kwang.
　　
　　Jung教授指出，韩国不断下降的人口出生率让她的学生观察和练习接生的机会越来越少，所以诺艾尔的存在是很有必要的。韩国目前的人口总数为4800万，是世界上人口出生率最低的国家之一，平均每名妇女拥有1.08个孩子。
　　
　　Professor Jung said South Korea's consistently decreasing birth-rate gave her students fewer chances to watch and practice delivering babies, making Noelle's presence necessary.
　　
　　South Korea currently has a population of just over 48 million and one of the lowest birth rates in the world -- an average of 1.08 children per woman.
　　
　　2000年，诺艾尔在美国被研制成功并被当地400多家机构购买。它在美国迈阿密Gaumard科学有限公司有售，单价为每只2万美元。
　　
　　Noelle was purchased for $20,000 from Miami-based Gaumard Scientific Co. Inc. in the United States. She was manufactured in 2000 and over 400 units have been sold in the United States.