71 Imitating the dynamic bovine cervix with 3D printing technology to teach artificial insemination in cattle

Abstract The process of artificial insemination in cattle is commonly taught using excised reproductive tracts. Excised reproductive tracts can be difficult to collect, and often require freezing and thawing prior to use; however, they are an effective tool to teach artificial insemination (AI) techniques. As an alternative tool, 3D printed cervixes were created using NinjaFlex filament in a Flashforge Creator Pro Dual Extrusion Printer. Designs of cervixes were created with a 3D CAD software while MATLAB was used to generate the random placement of the cervical ring openings to model biological diversity. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of using a 3D printed cervix compared with an excised reproductive tract to teach AI in cattle. Data were collected via surveys for 120 students from 2016 through 2019. Students were divided in two groups prior to entering live animals: 1) Excised reproductive tract and 2) 3D Cervix. The excised reproductive tracts were previously collected, preserved, and confirmed passable by instructors. The 3D cervix group included 3D cervixes mounted in a bovine pelvis inside a box. Overall, 88% of students had success passing the cervix in the cow by the third day. Eighty-seven percent of students thought the excised tracts felt somewhat similar to a live cow, compared with 54% who thought the 3D cervixes alone felt similar to a live cow. When the 3D cervixes were mounted in the box, 17/20 students thought they felt similar to a live cow. For learning AI techniques, 12/21 students thought the excised tracts were more helpful than the 3D cervixes alone (5/21); however, when the 3D cervixes were mounted in the pelvic boxes, 11/21 students preferred this setup compared with the excised tracts (6/21 students). Student feedback suggests the 3D cervixes mounted in pelvic boxes are a useful tool for teaching artificial insemination techniques.