Whatever Happened To ... The Car Mechanic Who Invented A Device To Pop Out A Baby?
In 2013, NPR reported on an improbable inventor: Jorge Odon, a middle-aged car mechanic who — inspired by watching a stupid party trick — designed a medical device that could revolutionize childbirth. Here's how we described it: "The Odon Device ... guides a folded plastic sleeve around the baby's head. A little bit of air is then pumped between the two plastic layers, cushioning the baby's head and allowing it to be sucked out."
The idea is that the device would be a boon during a difficult delivery — prolonged second-stage labor, for example. When Jorge Odon visited Washington, D.C., for a health-care event this year, we checked up on the progress of his project.
Back in 2006, Jorge Odon was a 52-year-old mechanic who ran an automobile alignment and wheel balancing service center in Lanus, Argentina, a city just south of Buenos Aires.
On the side, he liked to tinker around with car-related inventions in his garage.
One day, very different inspiration struck after watching two employees compete to.
