Woman Inventor Adonica Shaw Redesigns Obstetric Forceps for the First Time in 400 Years

PALO ALTO, CA., - February 26, 2026 - Wingwomen Technologies Inc., dba OperyxTM, today announced a historic milestone in medical device innovation: Pasadena-born inventor and women's-health designer Adonica Shaw has designed and developed the first obstetric forceps platform created by a woman in the instrument's 400-year history.

For centuries, obstetric forceps, which are essential tools used in the most time-critical childbirth emergencies, have been designed largely unchanged since the 19th and early 20th centuries. Shaw's patented ergonomic redesign modernizes this core surgical instrument to better match the realities of today's obstetric workforce and clinical environment.

"Forceps are used when seconds matter, and the margin for error is smallest," said Shaw, founder and lead inventor at Wingwomen Technologies. "Yet their design never evolved to fit the clinicians who use them. I set out to change that from lived birth-room experience and modern human-factors engineering."

A Historic First in Obstetrics
Obstetric forceps trace back to the 17th-century Chamberlen family and were later refined by figures such as Simpson, Kielland, and Piper. Shaw's work represents the first known redesign of the instrument by a woman, and the first to explicitly incorporate modern ergonomics, operator diversity, and litigation-aware safety engineering.

Her flagship ShawryxTM forceps preserve trusted clinical mechanics while introducing:
● Ergonomic handle geometry that redistributes load away from sustained pinch grip
● Improved torque control and neutral wrist alignment under stress
● Blade refinements to reduce maternal and fetal tissue trauma
● Compatibility with existing obstetric training and technique
Multiple utility and design patents are pending.
Why Obstetric Forceps Still Matter
Despite declining training exposure in some regions, forceps remain irreplaceable in specific high-acuity births, including rotational deliveries, malposition, and certain breech scenarios. Clinical literature and obstetric guidelines continue to recognize operative vaginal delivery as a critical capability in avoiding emergency cesarean sections when rapid vaginal delivery is required.
Shaw's redesign directly addresses a long-recognized problem: classical forceps were optimized for fetal and pelvic anatomy, not for the clinician's hand biomechanics or fatigue under pressure. Modern surgical ergonomics research shows that poor instrument fit contributes to fatigue, risk aversion, and tool abandonment, factors that can influence outcomes in time-sensitive procedures.

A Pasadena Native Bringing Women-Led Innovation to Birth
Raised in Pasadena, California, Shaw's path to invention grew from frontline birth-room work and engineering self-education. She is a midwifery-educated birth professional, doula, and

prolific medical device inventor with more than 20 women's-health inventions and dozens of surgical instrument designs across human and veterinary medicine.

Her company, Wingwomen Technologies, is building a broader ergonomic surgical-instrument platform, with obstetrics as its highest-stakes entry point.
"This is core healthcare infrastructure," Shaw said. "When we modernize foundational tools like forceps, we improve safety not only for mothers and babies - but across surgery."

A Platform for Safer Surgical Tools
The OperyxTM instrument portfolio applies ergonomic and human-factors engineering to long-standing surgical tools, aligning with international standards for medical-device usability and risk management. Because obstetric forceps are a known device category, Shaw's redesign follows established regulatory pathways while modernizing performance and safety characteristics.
Industry analyses estimate the global forceps market in the billions, with sustained growth expected through 2030, underscoring the impact of incremental ergonomic improvements across millions of procedures worldwide.

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About Wingwomen Technologies Inc. / OperyxTM
Wingwomen Technologies Inc., dba OperyxTM, develops ergonomic surgical instruments designed to improve clinician control, reduce fatigue, and enhance safety in high-risk procedures. Its ShawryxTM line introduces patented ergonomic redesigns to foundational instruments in obstetrics and surgery.

This release was published on openPR.