OpenSim-Based Musculoskeletal Modeling: Foundation for Interactive Obstetric Simulator

The use of mathematical and computational models to understand complex biological systems, such as the human birth process, is a rapidly growing field in medicine. These models can be used to optimize and personalize medical treatments for individual patients, enhance training, and aid in educational efforts. While recent advancements in healthcare, particularly in obstetrics, have improved care for mothers and babies, studies and government reports indicate a rising rate of maternal mortality in the United States. Despite this rising trend, there is a lack of detailed studies concerning the use of modeling and simulation to develop an interactive obstetrics simulator that can aid both practitioners and patients. This research builds upon a novel template for developing an interactive obstetric simulator and aims to replicate an onerous finite element vaginal delivery simulation with an interactive, patient-specific simulator that emphasizes musculoskeletal dynamics. The study utilizes the open-source platform of OpenSim and inverse-kinematic solutions to develop fetal and maternal musculoskeletal models and simulate birth on the musculoskeletal level