UTEP launches AI-powered manikins to train future nurses
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Nursing students at the University of Texas at El Paso are learning from “patients” that can talk back — thanks to new AI-powered manikins in the College of Nursing.
The lifelike manikins can blink, breathe, and respond to students’ questions, helping them prepare for real medical emergencies in a safe, controlled environment.
“The amount of information that’s available through AI — like having that applicable to your practice for the sim lab — is really exciting to me,” said Mia Hernandez, a UTEP nursing student.
Hernandez said the technology allows for more realistic reactions.
“An advantage to using the AI mannequins would be that, you know, as opposed to having a professor or another person focusing on giving you the responses you could have, you could have those automatically generated responses,” she said.
UTEP’s College of Nursing Dean Leslie Robbins said the manikins help students gain confidence and critical thinking skills before entering the hospital setting.
“If a student is going to make an error in judgment, we prefer it to do it with her than with your loved one,” Robbins said. “So when they graduate, they’ll have our critical thinking skills and be more ready to join the workforce immediately.”
The manikins can also simulate seizures, breathing changes, and eye dilation, giving students the closest possible experience to working with real patients.
UTEP officials said the program was funded through a university grant, with plans to expand and bring more AI manikins to the Borderland.
