Although the robot looks like it’s about ready to come apart it is actually one of the most sophisticated “robotic patient” in existence right now. The female medical robot developed by researchers at the Graduate School of Medicine in Gifu University, Japan, is designed not to be just a mere model of the human body but to help students practice their diagnostic skills. The robot can answer in response to questions given by the “attending doctor” to help pinpoint it’s supposed ailment. However, the really surprising thing about the robot is that it can also move it’s body to mimic the actual movements of people who are ill and so exhibit symptoms of its ailment. This will of course hone medical students better since they will not only be analyzing the “robotic patient” based on its answers but also based on its body language. According to the Gifu University researchers the robot’s ability to exhibit symptoms by means of body movement is groundbreaking since it is the only robot in the world that has this ability.

The robot is also valuable not only because of its ability but also because it is designed to mimic symptoms of rare medical conditions. This means that medical students will now be able to get a feel of how it is to diagnose medical conditions that even doctors in the field rarely encounter. This should help students not only in their exams but also in the future in case they do chance upon certain very rare medical conditions that they would otherwise might misdiagnose for some other more common disease without the experience gained from the robotic patient.

If the robot performs well it is set to become part of Gifu University’s Medical School’s curriculum next year.