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58 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2024 them to detect and record their strength and duration. Tocodynamometry is a method that explic- itly measures uterine contractions using pres- sure sensors placed on the mother's abdomen. ese sensors detect changes in the shape and firmness of the uterus during contractions, pro- viding additional information about the tim- ing and intensity of labor. Together, these sen- sors provide valuable real-time data to health- care professionals, enabling them to monitor the progress of labor and intervene when nec- essary to ensure a safe delivery. The Delivery Room e need for these instruments to maintain high-reliability standards cannot be overstated. In such a high-stakes environment, where deci- sions are heavily influenced by their readouts, these sensors oen dictate the course of deliv- ery. Such was the case with the birth of my son. Like most deliveries, my wife had an inflec- tion point where the activity in the room accel- erated from intermittent check-ins to con- stant monitoring. e relatively calm, nervous energy that permeated the room was replaced by the focus and determination required for the final stage of delivery: pushing. It was go-time. By then, it was a crisp 4 a.m., and our OB-GYN was peacefully sleeping in his home. Not know- ing how short the pushing stage would be, our nurses' language quickly progressed from, "We will page your doctor" to "We've paged your doctor" to "Your doctor may not make it in time." Sure enough, our doctor walked into the sound of faint crying just seconds aer our son was born. Adding another layer of unpredictability to our delivery, a heart rate sensor malfunc- tioned. e nurses had placed an electrode on our son's scalp to monitor his heart rate dur- ing the final push. At a critical moment, when the on-call doctor entered the room, he had a brief period of panic when our baby's heart rate seemed to have some concerning fluctuations. To our relief, he quickly diagnosed the heart rate monitor as faulty and ordered the nurses to switch back to the original external abdom- inal monitors. At that moment, I was simulta- neously glad that the doctor had the experi- ence to discover the fault and frustrated by the lack of reliability in the monitor. My firsthand experience of the faulty heart rate monitor will stick with me for years. It is clear to me that reliability is not just a tech- nical specification; it's a fundamental aspect of ensuring the safety and well-being of indi- viduals in critical situations. From a newborn entering the world to a patient undergoing surgery, the reliability of medical instruments (and electronics in general) can make all the difference. PCB007 Henry Crandall is the 2023 IPC Student Board Member. He is a graduate of the University of Utah and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in electrical engineering as the Advancing Research in Col- lege Scientists Graduate Fellow. To read past columns, click here.