Sympathy pads are so last year! To allow men to better experience the joys of pregnancy, Kosaka Lab at the Kanagawa Institute in Japan has developed “Mommy Tummy 8.0”, a high-tech simulator that replicates many of the joys of a full-term, 10-month gestation period in only two minutes.
To use the simulator, the user (the dad) places a special jacket on himself. The jacket is connected to a water tank which fills the jacket with water to simulate the weight gain of the fetus. The water is even warmed to make the experience more realistic. A vibrator in the jacket simulates the baby’s heartbeat and various balloons throughout the jacket can inflate, simulating the baby moving and kicking in the womb. There’s even balloons in the chest area to simulate breast development.
Not only do fathers get to feel the hardships of pregnancy, but sensors detect movement and touch; any sudden, strenuous movement could require the dad to rub the belly to calm the baby down.
Here’s Kanagawa Institute’s goal for Mommy Tummy 8.0:
Men who do not understand the difficulties of pregnancy often neglect to give special consideration to a pregnant woman, such as offering to carry her bags or give up a seat on a crowded bus.
Why don’t more people understand the hardships of pregnancy? Perhaps if men could comprehend these labors, they would be more amiable towards regnant women and have stronger affectionate ties with their newborn children.
More info: Mommy Tummy 8.0: A Pregnancy Experience System Simulating Fetal Movement
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