Uterine Contraction and Fetal Movement Simulator Using Dual-Arm Robotic System for Pregnancy Care Wearable Device Assessment

This paper introduces a dual robotic arm manipulator system designed to simulate fetal movement (FM) and uterine contraction (UC). The system serves as a testing platform for fetal monitoring wearable devices that detect FM and UC via the abdominal wall. It comprises a 6-DoF UR3e dualarm robotic platform and a phantom abdomen. Vibrations are generated using specific design probes, which transmit them to the silicone abdomen. The system's performance is characterized and evaluated using a fetal monitoring device. Experiments are conducted to examine the range and frequency response, demonstrating that the system effectively replicates the frequency and magnitude ranges of real FM vibrations. Data are analyzed through time-frequency analysis and compared to real FM data reported in the previous studies. Additionally, UC and FM occur in simultaneous tests that show that the system can create a scenario with an in-womb factor, enabling the evaluation of FM detection capabilities under realistic conditions. This dualarm robotic system has the potential to advance the development and validation of fetal monitoring systems and algorithms.