‘The Birthing Baby’ wins Horners Award 2012
19 September 2012
An innovative obstetric training device, The Birthing Baby, has been announced as the winner of the Horners Award for Plastics Design and Innovation 2012.
The Birthing Baby - winner of the 2012 Horners Award
The Birthing Baby, developed jointly by Brightworks and Limbs and Things, is a new born baby mannequin which is having a growing role in the training of doctors, midwives and nurses and helps to prevent adverse outcomes in childbirth.
Training using The Birthing Baby helps eliminate confusion in roles and responsibilities, provides better structure and coordination to the performance of key clinical tasks and improves organization and support.
The head, body and limbs are made from RTV silicone rubber, ABS and water blown polyurethane foam. It includes several realistic, key anatomical features. The head is suitable to practice forceps and suction deliveries and the arms, legs and head articulate realistically. The flexibility, hardness, density and weight distribution of the skin, limbs and joints closely replicate those of a real baby.
The Horners Award is run jointly by the Worshipful Company of Horners and the British Plastics Federation. It is awarded annually for entries demonstrating innovation in plastics design and manufacture or in the processing of plastics. The Award was established in 1947, and is thought to be the oldest existent award for plastics in the world.